Griz topple Cats to bring Main Line Trophy back to Missoula

Friday, November 7

Bozeman, Mont.

7:00 PM

Montana

15-8,7-5Big Sky

Montana State

11-12,6-6Big Sky

Montana

Montana St.

Griz topple Cats to bring Main Line Trophy back to Missoula

11/7/2025 11:16:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Montana Sports Information

The Main Line Trophy is coming home.

Montana went on the road, in front of a crowd of nearly 5,000, and survived an opening set loss to knock off the Montana State Bobcats in four sets. The Grizzlies hit .290 on the night and held MSU to .227 on its home court.

"I'm just so proud of our group. I feel like this match was so many snapshots of individuals being big time playmakers," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I can think of everyone at one point or another stepping up and making a big play to grab us momentum. It was just so fun to see such a complete team effort."

The win improves Montana to 7-5 in Big Sky play (15-8 overall) and pulls them within two games of the Big Sky Conference lead after Sacramento State beat Northern Arizona on Thursday night. The Griz not only bring a trophy back home over the divide, but also put a game between themselves and the Bobcats in the league standings after the two teams entered tied.

Four different Grizzlies reached double figures in kills and all of them hit over .250 on the night as the offense found a rhythm in the final sets and could not be stopped. Gracie Cagle had 46 assists and spread the love to all of Montana's attackers.

Delaney Russell led the way with 17 kills on .250 kills and Mylee Blake followed with 12 kills on .346 hitting. Middle blockers Sydney Pierce and Carley Spachman joined them in double figures with 10 kills each, both hitting over .400 on the match.

Alexis Batezel led Montana with 17 digs and freshman Madeline Sanderson added 12 as the Grizzlies got contributions up and down the roster.

"That is a really good team and there were a lot of battles and I just loved our response every time," Lawrence said. "When they showed more pressure or physicality, I feel like we had a response to it. I'm just really proud of our poise in that environment and under that pressure. It was one of our goals and I thought we had a strong combination of patience and poise."

The Bobcats jumped out to a lead in the opening set, scoring five of the first seven points of the match. Montana would climb back into it and tie things up at 9-all to set up a tight opening set.

In the late stages, Montana State would pull ahead behind a strong offense for a 25-19 win. The Bobcats hit .333 in the first set while holding Montana to just .237 hitting for the first-set win.

Despite the energy in the building being behind the hosts, Montana responded in the second set. Blake, playing in her first match in Bozeman, had two kills early to give Montana the lead 4-3. They wouldn't trail the rest of the way in the set, despite many efforts from the Bobcats.

The hosts would pull level on several occasions, but Montana gained separation near the media timeout to take control. They scored four out of five points with two kills and a block from Russell to jump ahead 16-13.

The Bobcats would get back within one after a 4-0 run made it 21-20, but the Grizzlies closed out the set strong to level things up. Pierce and Russell each recorded a kill and combined it with two Bobcat errors to finish the set with four of the final five points and a 25-21 win.

Pierce's kill was reviewed and confirmed to make it 23-20 in the second set after being originally called out. The point was only possible after a huge point-saving dig from the freshman defensive specialist Sanderson.

After difficult outings in their first rivalry match, both Sanderson and fellow freshman Mylee Blake stepped up to have huge performances in Bozeman.

"The way our freshmen stepped up and were playmakers, especially compared to the first match in Missoula, shows a lot of things. It shows freshmen who work so hard for their seniors and want to honor the work that the seniors have done," Lawrence said. "In that, I feel like they want to be held responsible for that legacy and in that found so much growth."

Montana carried that momentum into the third set and jumped out to an 8-5 lead. The set followed a similar story to the second. After a couple of quick lead changes early, Montana would take control and wouldn't trail for the next 38 points in the match.

The Griz were doubling up the Cats at 14-7 and led going into the home stretch. MSU would make things interesting late and pull within a point at 24-23, but the Grizzlies went to the middle blocker Spachman for the final point. The senior transfer, playing in her first match in Bozeman, delivered with a huge kill to make it 2-1 Montana.

It was a veteran play in a moment when Montana had no room for error. Spachman, who had a team-high four kills in the set, and her fellow seniors allowed the younger players to have confidence all night long, a testament to the bonds that this team has shared throughout the season.

"I think it says a lot about our veteran leadership that there might be nerves or it might be new to be in that environment and being counted on in that type of way, but that means that the upperclassmen and leaders around them are sharing that responsibility and bringing them along," Lawrence said. "I think it speaks to the chemistry and desire that this group has to make each other great."

The Griz left no doubt in the fourth and final set. They scored the first four points of the set and would lead 10-3 out of the gates. They were doubling up the Bobcats for much of the set and won the fourth 25-14.

"I'm so proud of this group. We have poise, we are thinking under pressure, and we have legs to go," Lawrence said. "We are looking physical and fresh, and that's what you need this time of year. We look motivated and creative and like we are growing, and that's really hard to do."

Montana hit .412 in the final set with 16 kills and just two errors. The freshman Blake had four kills on five swings in the closing set, finding a new level in the most pressure-filled situation of the season.

For Maddie Pyles and Alexis Batezel, they close their four-year rivalry career out with the Main Line Trophy in their possession. Pyles had eight kills on .294 hitting and Batezel had a match-high 17 digs.

More than just the stats, the two seniors have delivered all season with their leadership.

"I can't say enough about the leadership of Lexi and Maddie. I think over the last three matches, Maddie has seamlessly stepped in and executed," Lawrence said. "I think tonight we really relied on her confidence, poise, and playmaking. I think Lexi has been such a great combination of holding the team to the highest standard while also loving the team as hard as she can for every second that she has left. I think that's such a motivating combination."

Rivalry wins are always big, but this one could mean even more for the Grizzlies. Both UM and MSU are in the midst of successful seasons, and the winner of Friday night's match had a great chance of finishing inside the top four in the league.

As the two programs have both risen over the previous years, the match has meant even more every time they step on the floor. For Lawrence, that's a positive for volleyball in the Treasure State.

"I love that the rivalry has been as heated as it has been. I just love that as both programs are fighting to be in the top third of the conference every year, this battle and the history of the rivalry is only growing deeper," Lawrence said. "It makes me so excited for volleyball in our state and for both programs because I think we make each other better."

Montana now returns home for the final two matches of the season next week. They host Idaho and Eastern Washington, two teams that are a combined 2-20 in the Big Sky this year with the only two wins coming for the Vandals against the Eagles. They are 0-20 against the rest of the league.

There will be plenty of emotions as Montana honors its four seniors on Saturday, but after channeling those emotions to a big win on Saturday, Lawrence is confident that her team can keep things rolling.

"This win is always such a huge momentum spark. Coming off of this win and going into honoring our seniors at home and all the emotions that this rivalry brings, at the forefront of that is gratitude both to be in the rivalry and to be standings side-by-side with our teammates," Lawrence said. "We're going to be playing with our seniors in mind, so we are headed into a meaningful, poignant stretch of our season and I think our group is particularly suited to play with that emotion, gratitude, and love for each other. I'm excited to see what that brings out of us."