Bulldog Volleyball To Compete At Hells Canyon Grand Invitational

UMW Sports Press Release

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western volleyball team (1-3) travels to Lewiston, Idaho to take part in the Hells Canyon Grand Invitational Friday and Saturday (Aug. 29-30). The Bulldogs will face off against Walla Walla, Arizona Christian, and tournament host LC State.

 SCHEDULE 

Friday, Aug. 29

Match 1 vs. Walla Walla – 2 p.m. PT/ 3 p.m. MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

Saturday, Aug. 30

Match 2 vs. Arizona Christian – 10 a.m. PT/ 11 am MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

Match 3 at LC State – 2 pm PT/ 3 pm MT | Watch Live | Live Stats

 LAST TIME OUT 

UMW faced some tough competition in its first tournament of 2025, going 1-3 at the Palm Beach Juniors Classic hosted by Keiser. The Bulldogs earned their first win of the campaign with a 3-0 sweep over Saint Francis but were beaten by IU East (0-3), Taylor (0-3) and Keiser (0-3).

 BULLDOG BEAT 

Montana Western has tallied 118 kills, 109 assists, 20 service aces, 162 digs, and 27 blocks thus far in 2025. The team's best tally in kills (33), assists (30), and blocks (10.0) came in the win over Saint Francis. UMW recorded a season-high 51 digs against Keiser and a season-best nine aces against Taylor.

Jordan Olson leads the charge offensively for the Bulldogs, ranking first in kills (25), kills per set (2.08), and total attacks (78). Kennedy Lingenfelter (22, 1.83) and Savana Warburton (20, 1.67) sit second and third in kills and kills per set, respectively. Megan Hardman and Taylor Petersen share the team-lead in assists with 41 apiece while Jayda Ward is setting the tone from the service line with five aces.

Defensively, Taylor Ketchum tops the team with 37 digs (3.08 per set), followed closely by Madisyn Frazier (34, 2.83) and Warburton (33, 2.75). Jaiden Perez (15), Olson (14), and Lingenfelter (11) have all reached double figures in blocks for Western.

 JAIDEN PEREZ EARNS DEFENDER OF THE WEEK 

Junior middle blocker Jaiden Perez was named Frontier Conference Defender of the Week on August 18th after a standout performance at the Palm Beach Juniors Classic. The Las Vegas, Nev., native tallied 15 total blocks (1.25 blocks per set) over four matches. She was instrumental in Montana Western's sweep of Saint Francis, recording six blocks while also hitting a .333 clip and adding five kills. In the final game of the tournament, Perez doubled down on her stout defensive play with five more blocks. She committed just one blocking error in 12 sets played. The accolade marked the first Erck Hotels/ Frontier Conference nod of her career.

 THE OPPONENTS 

Walla Walla (1-0)

• The Wolves were upended in their first match of the season, falling 1-3 to MSU-Northern (17-25, 26-28, 25-22, 21-25).

• The team registered 61 kills, 58 assists, 87 digs, and 11 blocks in the loss.

• Sahara Browning led the Wolves in both kills (20) and digs (21).

• Vicky Giardana (17) and Myckayla Shaver (nine) ranked second and third in kills, respectively.

• Olivia Cheek paced the offense with 26 assists while Shaver led in blocks (three).

 Arizona Christian (3-1)

• Went 3-1 at the Raider Invitational, earning wins against Oregon Tech (3-2), Simpson (3-2), and upsetting then #6 Southern Oregon (3-1) but falling to Bushnell (0-3).

• Averaged 11.3 kills, 10.5 assists, and 16.1 digs per set.

• Zuri Reeser tops the team with 61 kills while sitting second in both service aces (five) and digs (43).

• Becca Thomson leads the Firestorm with 86 assists, followed by Shelby Emich with 77.

• Ryan Coughlin paces the team in digs (49) while Catherine Johnson has a team-best 13 blocks.

LC State (1-0)

• Defeated MSU-Northern 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) in its opening match of the season.

• As a team, the Warriors compiled 43 kills, 42 assists, six aces, 49 digs, and eight blocks.

• Juliauna Forgach Aguilar earned Cascade Conference Attacker of the Week for her performance (20 kills, .220 hitting percentage).

• Alba Carpena (nine) and Taylor Boyce (eight) ranked second and third on the team in kills, respectively.

• Teagan Scott paces the team with 19 assists, followed by Esther Kailiponi with 17.

• Abby Beaton and Scott recorded four blocks apiece while Carpena and Helena Stewart each earned three.

  

 LOOKING AHEAD 

Following the Hells Canyon Grand Invitational, the Bulldogs open conference play with a three straight road tests. They will face Valley City State (9/5), Mayville State (9/6), and rival Montana Tech (9/10).