BUTTE -- Montana Tech's volleyball team ran its win streak to five matches Saturday with a pair of victories on the final day of the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge at the Butte Civic Center.
The Orediggers (5-1) began the day with a 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17 victory over Arizona Christian and finished it with a sweep, 25-16, 25-15, 25-14, of Ottawa (Ariz.).
It was a record-breaking day for junior middle
Madison Biery, who hit a program-best .813 (13-for-16 with no errors) in the nightcap. That mark broke the record set by
Abby Clark in Tech's final home match a season ago; Clark hit .800 in that sweep of Carroll, also totaling 13 kills.
Biery and fellow junior
Payton Treadwell led the way for Tech with 22 and 23 kills on the day, respectively, while senior
Rhys Layton collected 60 assists and 11 digs. Junior
Brooklynn Hayes led the back row with 33 digs over the two matches.
The Orediggers started the day with the tightest set they have played so far this season, battling back and forth with ACU (1-2) before taking the final three points to claim a 25-23 first-set victory. Treadwell put down the final two clinching points for the Orediggers.
Tech ran away with the second, starting the set on a 16-9 run and never looking back. The defense held the Firestorm to just a .027 hitting percentage. After dropping the third, the Orediggers rolled in the fourth as ACU hit -.129 (5-for-31 with nine errors) and Treadwell put down six kills.
Treadwell led the attack with 13 kills, while Biery and
Halle Moomaw each put down nine in the winning effort. Hayes had 23 digs as the libero, and redshirt freshman
Kenedee Moore added 13 of her own. Layton dished out 27 assists.
It only took Montana Tech three sets to roll to victory in the second match of the day. The Orediggers hit .386 as a team, thanks in large part to Biery's .813 clip and 13 kills. Moomaw (eight kills, .467) and Treadwell (seven kills, .313) were also efficient on the attack for Tech.
Layton added 33 assists in the win, feeding the red-hot offense, while junior
Austin Long and redshirt freshman
Morgan Jones each served up four aces. Hayes made 10 digs on the back row, and Biery led the team with three blocks.
Montana Tech will now turn its attention to Frontier Conference play, which begins with a trip to Mayville State and Valley City State on September 4 and 5, respectively.
Visit Montana Tech athletics' home online, GoDiggers.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news and coverage of the Orediggers. Give Montana Tech athletics a like on Facebook, and follow the Orediggers on X and Instagram at @DiggerAthletics.
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