Griz volleyball finalizes 2025 schedule

The Montana Grizzly volleyball team has finalized the 2025 fall schedule. The Grizzlies are hosting the Ellesyn Invitational Sponsored by Homewood Suites on Sept. 5 and 6 and will play in two additional tournaments during the non-conference portion of the schedule. They wrap up the non-conference with a bus trip to Washington for a pair of matches in Spokane and Cheney.

Montana will open the season on Friday, Aug. 29 with the Wolverine Invitational hosted by Utah Valley. The tournament features the host Wolverines, Boise State, and Navy. The Grizzlies will host North Dakota State and Oakland the following weekend, playing the Golden Grizzlies twice during the Ellesyn Invitational.

The Grizzlies will play Oakland on Friday afternoon followed by a neutral site game that evening. Montana will then play twice on Saturday as part of a big opening weekend at home for Griz athletics with football also in action.

"I think it's a fun day for Griz fans. It's always fun to be home with multiple teams and see Griz nation show out for everyone," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's a fun thing to be able to do when we can logistically make it work, and I think we will enjoy being at home as part of what kicks off fall sports for the Missoula community and the thousands of fans."

The Grizzlies head to Terre Haute, Ind. on Sept. 12 and 13 to play at Indiana State's tournament that features Butler and Eastern Illinois. They play at Gonzaga on Sept. 18 and then face Seattle in Cheney, Wash. on Sept. 19.

"I think a unique thing about this year's schedule is we have three out of the four weekends where we are pretty regional, which is nice," Lawrence said. "I think it will add some extra rest and allow for more fans and families to attend."

In Big Sky play, Montana will have home-and-away matches against seven teams. They will play Sacramento State at home in the only meeting between the two, and face Portland State just once, which will come on the road in Viking Pavilion.

Montana will have a unique opening to Big Sky play with a home-road split weekend. They have their first league match at home on Thursday, Sept. 25. They then hit the road to play at Idaho on Saturday, Sept. 27.

It's the third straight season that Montana will begin Big Sky play with the scheduling quirk. Lawrence is hopeful that the shorter trip on the final week of the non-conference will help ease the transition into league play.

"The last three years opening conference play with that split weekend against tough opponents has been stressful and kind of a jarring turnaround," Lawrence said. "The hope is staying closer to home and a quick bus trip where we can be a little bit more rested going into conference play, I'm hoping that will produce a seamless transition from preseason to conference play."

There should be opportunities for a young Montana team to pick up wins and plenty of experience in the four weeks of non-conference play. Of the 10 opponents they face, only three reached double-digit wins in 2024.

Lawrence thinks that the level of play will allow her team to be competitive while she is able to experiment with lineups to get the best product possible entering Big Sky play.

"I think the other locations that we are going to were based on the field of the competition. We're playing teams that are the level we need to be playing that will give us chances with a young roster to make a lot of potential lineup changes and test a lot of things," Lawrence said. "I'm excited for a preseason that will really reveal our strongest lineup as we go into conference."

There will be some familiar foes for the Grizzlies from 2024. Montana will make the return trip to Utah Valley after the Wolverines played in Missoula last season. The Grizzlies won that match 3-1.

Montana also plays North Dakota State for the second straight season. Last year, the Bison won two matches against the Grizzlies in Fargo. The Griz have have a chance at redemption in 2025 as they face NDSU inside Dahlberg Arena.

This will also be the third straight season that Montana and Boise State have faced each other. They played in Boise in 2023, Missoula in 2024, and now face off at Utah Valley this season.

"That's kind of how you guarantee home games and how you negotiate and put together your schedule over the course of several years," Lawrence said. "There are plenty of reasons to chose one tournament over another, but a big reason is can you get teams from that tournament to play in Missoula the following year and make the trip worth it in the long run."

The Big Sky Conference Tournament has moved for the 2025 season. The event, which will be hosted in Greeley by Northern Colorado, will be played from Nov. 24-26. It was bumped earlier in the week to avoid games on Thanksgiving. It also bumps Montana's final two regular season games up a day as they will now face Weber State on Wednesday, Nov. 19 and Idaho State on Nov. 21.

University of Montana Athletics

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