Montana, winners of 10 straight, back home for big week

Montana (10-3, 2-0 Big Sky) vs. Northern Colorado (4-10, 1-1 Big Sky)
Thursday, Oct. 2 / 7:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

Montana vs. Northern Colorado (12-3, 2-0 Big Sky)
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 2:00 PM / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

Montana volleyball continues to make history as the 2025 season rolls along, and now they return back home to Dahlberg Arena for two of the biggest matches of the season following a historic start to Big Sky play.

The Grizzlies swept both of their matches last week, the first time they've done that to open league play since 1990, to increase their overall winning streak up to 10 matches. It's now tied for the 5^th longest in program history, but faces the ultimate test this week.

It's an unstoppable force versus an immovable object on Thursday as Montana's 10-match winning streak goes up against a different type of streak. Defending regular season champion Northern Colorado have won 20 straight matches against the Griz dating back to 2013, but never has Montana been in a better position to defeat the Bears.

They follow up that match with a showdown against first-place Northern Arizona. The Grizzlies and Lumberjacks both opened league play at 2-0 while sweeping their opponents in both matches, setting up a potential first-place battle on Saturday.

"It's a very big week," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "It's been fun to have the momentum that we have and winning is great. I thought we had a great first weekend and a great showing at home, but it only gets harder from here and I think the results from around the Big Sky speak to that."

The momentum that Montana brought into league play following their 3^rd best non-conference winning percentage of all time carried through the first week with sweeps of Sacramento State and Idaho.

The Grizzlies outlasted the defending tournament champion down the stretch in all three sets, pulling away late for wins. It's something Montana has been very good at this year with a 9-3 record in sets decided by two points.

"What was nice to see is that at the ends of sets we were coming through under pressure," Lawrence said. "It definitely felt tight with Sacramento State, they are a team that can serve and pass well and have runs on any opponent, but I think after 18 and 20 points to see an uptick in our performance, I was really proud of that."

There was a bit more freedom to play on Saturday against an Idaho team that is improved but still struggling to find its footing in the Big Sky. Lawrence went deep into her bench in the win and every player that stepped onto the floor delivered.

It's something that she has done all season, which is a reflection of the trust that Lawrence and her staff have in every player on the roster.

"It's very impressive and I think it's such a testament to our training environment. I think we get after each other in practice," Lawrence said. "Every lineup in the gym is face-to-face with someone that could come into any match and I think they've been hungry. It has made practice so much fun and also gives us a ton of confidence going into matches."

The Grizzlies survived the split week and now return home for two looking to extend not only their overall winning streak, but also a nice little run in Missoula. Montana has won six straight inside Dahlberg Arena dating back to last year.

"It's nice to be at home. I think travel is tough in a lot of ways, and we've been playing really well at home," Lawrence said. "I think there is something about Dahlberg that makes it hard for other teams to serve and pass in so you have a little edge that makes you relax into the game."

It's a huge week for Montana. The Grizzlies were picked to finish 9^th in the preseason poll after missing the tournament last year. They already delivered one statement by knocking off defending tournament champion Sacramento State, who went on to sweep Weber State two days later.

Now they have a chance to beat Northern Colorado for the first time in 12 years. It's a streak that has gone on for too long and at times in the past may have messed with Montana's belief.

The 10-match winning streak has this team confident they can get the job done while knowing that anything can happen in Big Sky matches.

"I think the results that we've had and the way we've been winning really kind of bolsters the confidence for us," Lawrence said. "The belief and knowledge that we're going to be in sets and are capable of winning any match, I think looking at results from across the conference, it feels very wide open to me of who can do what."

It's simple for Montana. Maintain the level of play that they have shown the previous four weeks and trust that it will be enough to leave Dahlberg Arena happy.

"If we're as consistent as we have been for the last month, that's our goal and it will be a big test for us to weather a bit of what's coming here," Lawrence said. "We're excited. It's going to be a fight and I love it."

HISTORIC NOTES FOR 2025

The Grizzlies have hit over .300 in six different matches already this season. It's the 3^rd most in a single season in program history. The record is 7, set in both 1991 and 1989.
Montana's 10-match winning streak is tied for the 5^th longest in program history with the 1990 team. It's the longest by a Grizzly team since 1994 when they won 16 straight.
The Grizzlies went 8-3 in non-conference play in 2025. It's tied for the 3^rd best winning percentage in program history for a non-conference schedule and tied for the 3^rd most wins.
The 10-3 start to the season is the best 13-match start for the program since 1999. The Grizzlies also opened that season 10-3 and would get up to 12-3.
This is the first time in program history that Montana has been undefeated in the month of September. It's just the 6^th time ever that they've had a perfect month, and the 10 wins are the 2^nd most in an undefeated month in program history.
The current team hitting percentage of .243 is the best for Montana in program history.
Montana's single season record for individual hitting percentage is .353 by Jaimie Thibeault in 2009. Sydney Pierce (.381) and Olivia LaBeau (.375) are both ahead of that mark through 13 matches.
Montana has had the Big Sky Player of the Week four times already in 2025. It's tied for the second-most all-time, trailing only the 1994 season when Montana had six Player of the Week honors..
Alexis Batezel is the 5^th Grizzly since 2000 to win the league's Player of the Week honor twice in the same season. She joined Paige Clark, Missy Huddleston, Whitney Hobbs, and Claudia Houle as the only two-time winners of the league's Player of the Week.
Montana's .416 hitting percentage against Butler was the best in the 25-point scoring era and the best by the team since hitting .500 against Canisius in 2007.
The five errors committed by Montana in the Butler match are the fewest by a Grizzly team in program history. It broke the previous record of 7 set on four occasions.

BEST BIG SKY STARTS

Montana has started 2-0 in league play for the 3^rd time under Lawrence and 11^th time overall.
The Grizzlies are looking to start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2022. They have been 3-0 in Big Sky play seven times in program history.
This is the first time since 1990 and only second time in history that the Grizzlies have started Big Sky play with two straight sweeps.
The last time Montana started 4-0 in conference play was 1996.

STATS ON THE WINNING STREAK

Montana's 10-match winning streak is tied for the 5^th longest in program history and is the longest since the 1994 team won 16 straight.
There are only 9 teams in the country that have won at least 10 matches in a row. Montana is tied for the 5^th longest streak with Texas, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Liberty. Towson has the longest streak in the country with 13 straight wins.
The Griz are outhitting their opponents .302-to-.173 during the winning streak, having committed 67 fewer errors.
They are outdigging opponents by over two per set with Montana averaging 16.94 during this stretch.
Four different Grizzlies are averaging at least 2.70 kills per set during the streak with all four hitting over .230.
The Griz have lost just four sets during the streak with two of those coming by the minimum of two points.
Montana is outscoring opponents 838-687 total during the last 10 matches.

GETTING IT DONE IN DAHLBERG
Montana has won six straight matches inside of Dahlberg Arena dating back to last season. The Grizzlies won the final two at home in 2024 and have started 4-0 in Missoula this year. They swept through the Ellesyn Invitational in early September and opened league play with a sweep of Sacramento State at home.

The 6-match home winning streak is tied for the 30^th longest streak in the country. It is also tied for the longest home winning streak in the Big Sky.

Montana had 943 fans in attendance for last Thursday's win over Sacramento State.

"Our attendance on Thursday night was amazing," Lawrence said. "I think with how much momentum there is in the community to come out and see us makes me excited to build on that the rest of the season."

BATEZEL CLIMBING THE ALL-TIME RANKS
Senior libero Alexis once again moved up in Montana's all-time digs last weekend, climbing up to 7^th and passing Griz great Jennifer Moran in the process. Batezel now has 1,200 digs in her career.

She will look to move up another spot on Thursday. She enters the match trailing Megan Murphey by 16 for 6^th place in program history.

RUSSELL NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the fourth consecutive week, Montana had a player honored by the Big Sky Conference. Delaney Russell earned the league's Offensive Player of the Week honor after leading the Grizzlies to a perfect opening to conference play.

Russell averaged 4.33 kills per set on .276 hitting and 2.5 digs per set.

She is the third Grizzly to win the weekly honor this year joining Gracie Cagle and Alexis Batezel (x2).

GRIZ NOTES

The Grizzlies can pass 2024's win total with a victory on Thursday night. They have reached double-digit wins for the 5^th straight season, the longest streak since having 7-straight 10-win seasons from 2005-11.
Montana ranks 14^th in the country in digs per set with 16.74. The Grizzlies are 34^th in kills per set (13.8) and 41^st in the country in assists per set (12.61). They also lead the Big Sky in assists and kills per set.
They are holding opponents to .172 hitting, which is 2^nd in the Big Sky and 45^th nationally, while hitting .243, also a top 100 mark in the country.
934 fans watched last Thursday's win over Sacramento State. Montana has never had a crowd over 1,000 on a Thursday night game. Outside of Cat-Griz games, Montana has had just two crowds over 1,000 in the last 21 years.
Gracie Cagle leads the Big Sky and ranks 47^th nationally with 9.70 assists per set. Cagle is also 2^nd on the conference leaderboard with 0.46 aces per set. That number ranks 69^th nationally.
Alexis Batezel ranks 2^nd in the Big Sky and 51^st nationally with 4.35 digs per set. The two-time Player of the Week in the Big Sky this season
Freshman Sophia Vella recorded a season-high 5 kills in the win over Idaho.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (4-10, 1-1 Big Sky)

It's been a down year to start for defending regular season champion Northern Colorado. The Bears have four Big Sky titles (two regular season, two tournament) since 2021 but went just 3-9 during the non-conference this year.
The Bears do have impressive wins over Colorado State and Washington, but outside of that have struggled. They have been close in plenty of matches, dropping four matches in five sets.
Lyndsey Oates is in her 21^st season at UNC and has a 379-244 overall record. The Bears have 20-plus wins in nine seasons under Oates and have won 12 Big Sky titles (5 regular season, 7 tournament titles).
Northern Colorado was swept by Weber State in the first match of Big Sky play but rebounded with a 3-1 win over Eastern Washington last Saturday.
They are hitting .216 this year, but have allowed opponents to hit .238, which ranks 8^th in the Big Sky and 280^th nationally.
Alayna Tessena leads UNC with 3.20 kills per set to rank 7^th in the Big Sky. She's 3^rd in the Big Sky in total points with 210.5.
The Bears have struggled to replace setter Syd Cole, a two-time Big Sky MVP. Cole led the Big Sky last year with 10.19 assists per set. Mia Liddiard leads the team with 7.33 assists per set this year.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA (12-3, 2-0 Big Sky)

The Lumberjacks, similar to the Grizzlies, have been on the rise in 2025. They finished last year 14-14 overall and 7-9 in Big Sky play. NAU was picked to finish tied for 7^th in the preseason coaches poll but are tied for first after one week of play.
Northern Arizona had an 8-match winning streak in the non-conference before dropping their final game at Wofford on Sept. 20. The only other losses this season are at New Mexico and vs. Washington State.
NAU also opened Big Sky play with back-to-back sweeps. They defeated Idaho at home in three and then went to Idaho State and picked up another three-set win. They will play at Montana State on Thursday night.
Coach Ken Murphy is in his 13^th season at Northern Arizona and has a 212-142 record. He led the Lumberjacks to five 20-win seasons in the six years prior to COVID, but struggled out of the shutdown. He now has NAU back on track with 14 wins last year and a dozen already this season.
Northern Arizona's defense has been impressive this season, limiting opponents to just .143 hitting to lead the Big Sky and rank 6^th nationally. They average 16.76 digs per set (13^th nationally) and 2.48 blocks (61^st).
The Lumberjacks also lead the league in hitting percentage at .252.
Hannah Stoddard has been one of the best attackers in the country this season. She leads the Big Sky and ranks 21^st nationally with 4.51 kills per set. She has the 4^th most attacks in the country with 12.25 per set.

SERIES HISTORIES

Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 29-9 against Montana. The Bears have won 20 straight matches in the series with Montana's last win coming in 2013. The Grizzlies' last home win over UNC was on Sept. 20, 2013. UNC has an 11-7 record in Missoula.
Northern Arizona leads the all-time series with Montana 38-36. The Grizzlies are 19-15 in Missoula against the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona won the last meeting between the two last October, but Montana won three out of four prior to that. The Grizzlies have won two straight in Missoula. NAU's last win in Missoula came in 2019.

Montana, winners of 10 straight, back home for big week

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Batezel

Gracie Cagle

Paige Clark

Olivia LaBeau

Sydney Pierce

Delaney Russell

Sophia Vella

University of Montana Athletics

Montana, winners of 10 straight, back home for big week

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alexis Batezel

Gracie Cagle

Paige Clark

Olivia LaBeau

Sydney Pierce

Delaney Russell

Sophia Vella

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