Bulldog Volleyball Punches Ticket To Sioux City

Lindsey Branch, UMW Sports Information

WAXAHACHIE, Texas — The Montana Western volleyball team (22-6) traveled to no. 19 Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Texas) this afternoon and defeated the Lions in a 3-0 sweep.

The Bulldogs win their fourth straight game and advance to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship tournament in Sioux City, Iowa.

How It Happened

The Bulldog women took a commanding lead early in the first set, riding an 8-1 scoring run to take an 13-6 lead. Jordan Olson pounded a kill from the right-side down the stretch for an 18-11 lead. Her kill sparked a UMW run that saw a block from Martin and Olson and a kill for Martin. Despite allowing the Lions to pull three late points, Martin ended the Lions' last-ditch effort with a kill from the middle.

Frame two featured both teams battling point-for-point with neither team taking more than a one-point lead early in the set. UMW utilized a service error to tie the game and kills from Martin and Jaiden Perez gave UMW the lead at 16-13. Though a SAGU timeout broke the rally, UMW got right back in the game and Perez recorded another kill capping off another quick 3-0 run. The Bulldogs outscored the Lions 6-3 down the stretch to take a 25-19 win and ride a 2-0 advantage into the final frame.

Though claiming a quick lead following a pair of blocks in the front row, the Lions jumped back in the game and held a 14-11 lead over UMW. A kill from KayLee Kopp tied the game at 14 all. A kill from Peyton Vogl paired with an attack error put UMW back in the lead. The Lions fought their way back in the game and knotted the game at 18 all. UMW finished the game by outscoring SAGU 8-2 down the stretch to finish the sweep.

Notables

• The Bulldogs outhit SAGU by a whopping .309 to .068 in the matchup while racking up 44 kills as a team in the game. SAGU totaled just 27 total.

• Today's win over SAGU marks the first win in postseason play for UMW and their first win in school history over SAGU.

• Martin led the way with 10 kills and three blocks. She hit .500 in the game with just one error.

• Vogl was a key contributor leading with five blocks. She also added seven kills.

• Kaylee Fritz and Taylor Petersen combined for 30 assists and 10.0 assists per set.

• Kelsey Goddard totaled 12 digs and three aces.

Up Next

The Bulldogs advance to the 2023 NAIA Volleyball Championships in Sioux City, Iowa that will be played from Nov. 29 through Dec. 5 at the Tyson Events Center.

Matchups will be announced Sunday Nov. 19 at 4pm MT.