BUTTE -- The 24th-ranked Montana Tech volleyball team got off to a strong start Friday evening but was unable to finish the job, falling 13-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-18 to No. 8-ranked Providence inside Valley Bank Arena.
Payton Treadwell led the Orediggers (11-3, 6-2 Frontier Conference) with 12 kills, while Halle Moomaw added 11 of her own. Brooklynn Hayes and Kenedee Moore each notched 11 digs on the back row. Rhys Layton had 32 assists.
Montana Tech started out hot in the opening set. The Orediggers used strong defense to jump out to a 16-5 advantage in the first stanza and rode that to a 25-13 drubbing.
The next three, however, felt much different for Montana Tech. The Diggs leapt to a 5-1 lead again, but UP (11-4, 5-3) battled back to tie the set at 19. Tech forced set-point, 24-22, after Kennedy Oman's kill, but the Argos battled back to even the score at a set apiece.
Montana Tech again scooted out to an early lead in the third, holding a 6-0 advantage before the Argos got their wheels back on. The set was all UP after that, however, as the Argos used a 10-3 run to take control and held on for the win.
UP also carried the fourth. The set was back-and-forth in the early going, but the Argos pulled away later to seal the match.
Montana Tech will remain home Saturday to continue Frontier Conference play. The Orediggers will play host to MSU-Northern at 2 p.m.
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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