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Bulldog Volleyball Closes Historic Season In Quarterfinal Loss to Warriors




December 7, 2024 | Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information Cover Photo Tim Tushla

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The no. 16 seeded Montana Western women's volleyball team (25-10) closed a historic 2024 season this afternoon with a 3-1 loss to the no. 8 seeded Corban University (Ore.) in the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship quarterfinal matchup.


After winning the opening set 26-24, the Bulldogs fell in three straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-22.


How It Happened

The opening set was a contested match from the start, with both teams trading points in a neck-and-neck battle that resulted in 13 ties. The deadlock persisted until 14-all, when a kill by Emma Bischoff for Corban ignited a 7-3 scoring run. However, Montana Western stayed within striking distance, eventually tying the score at 22 thanks to a service ace by Kelsey Goddard. The back-and-forth power struggle continued, with ties at 23 and 24, before UMW clinched the set 26-24 with a kill from Peyton Vogl and a Warriors attack error.



Corban opened the following set with the initial lead. The Bulldogs then tied things up at nine apiece following a kill from Jazi Smith, but a four-point run for the Warriors gave them enough space to keep the Bulldogs out at an arm's reach. Despite going down 24-16, the Bulldogs made a last-ditch effort and benefitted from a pair of kills from Jordan Olson to go on a 4-0 run before eventually falling to the Warriors 25-20.


Despite the late set magic in the second frame, the Bulldogs struggled get it into drive in the third set. They hit a mere -0.53 in the set while totaling an unfortunate 11 hitting error, with nine coming in the first 14 points of the set.


Set four was just as intense as the opener, featuring 10 ties and seven lead changes. Neither team managed to pull ahead by more than four points throughout the set. The Warriors broke the deadlock at 14-all with a decisive 6-2 scoring run, ultimately sealing the match with a 25-22 victory in set four.



Notables

  • UMW combined to hit .162 in the game, compared to CU's .238 across the match.

  • Corban's strong offensive play and solid defense at the net (16 total blocks, 14 assisted) proved to be the difference in the match.

  • Olson led the Bulldogs in today's matchup with 13 kills on a .267 hitting percentage.

  • Smith also had a strong performance with 11 kills of her own, as well as 15 digs in the back row.

  • Taylor Petersen directed the offense with 17 assists and Goddard added 22 digs. 


Final Notes

The Bulldogs cap their season with an overall record of 25-10, playing in 21 games against teams that were either ranked or receiving votes.


Six Bulldogs earned their way into the record books following this season. Smith caps off a historic career becoming UMW's career kills leader with a record 1164 total. She also holds the single season kills record with 469 in a single season.


Kaylee Fritz broke the career service aces record as she caps her impressive career. She now leads in the record books with 104 service aces.



Danyel Martin broke the career blocks record last season for UMW and added 140 blocks this season to her total. She leads the record book now with 419 total.


Goddard broke both the career digs record and the single season digs record this season as she ends her career at Montana Western. She now leads both with a career total of 2321 and a single season record total of 699 this season.


Petersen broke the single season service aces record during the upset win over No. 1 Northwestern. She holds the top spot with a total of 42 service aces.


Vogl is now the single season block leader after she totaled 152 blocks this season.



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