Saturday, October 17
Missoula, Mont.
7:00 PM
Montana
6-13,2-6Big Sky
0
vs
3
Utah Tech
15-3,8-0Big Sky
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Tech | 28 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Montana | 26 | 17 | 16 | 0 |
Photo by: Jacob Piapot/University of Montana
Griz fall to league leaders
10/17/2026 10:05:00 PM | Volleyball
Utah Tech volleyball remained unbeaten in Big Sky play and extended its winning streak to 12 matches on Saturday night with a 3-set win over Montana. The Grizzlies went toe-to-toe with the Trailblazers in the first set 28-26 before dropping the final two 25-17, 25-16.
Montana finished with 62 digs as they extended rally after rally against the top team in the Big Sky Conference and held them under their season average for hitting percentage, but in the end the Trailblazers were able to force through a win.
"I think we did a great job battling in all the broken plays especially," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I think we extended rallies really well. Our first contact both in serve-receive and on defense was poised and resilient and the quality of our first contact didn't break down as rallies continued. I think that allowed for exciting rallies and it allowed us to push them and get them on their heels in moments, especially in the first set."
Utah Tech had an early 7-0 run in the match that allowed them to build a 10-4 lead as they looked every part the undefeated team. The Grizzlies continued to trail for much of the first as a service ace from the Trailblazers later on made it 22-16.
Montana rallied from there, starting with a kill from Delaney Russell, who then went back to the service line. The Griz followed it up with a kill from Sophia Vella, one from Sydney Pierce, and then a block from Vella and Pierce combined to force Utah Tech into a timeout.
Annika Wright recorded a kill on the setter's dump out of the break to get Montana back within one point at 22-21. Montana forced the first tie since 4-4 after a bad set from the Trailblazers made it 23-all.
Josie Blazina skied for a huge block and then had two kills to keep Montana in it late. All three plays came with Montana facing set point as Blazina and the Griz extended the set well into extra time.
Utah Tech finally capitalized on a set point to win the first 28-26.
Blazina had four kills on .600 hitting to go with three blocks in the first set. All four of Montana's team blocks on the night came in the first set as they held Utah Tech to a match-low .163 hitting percentage.
It was a big night overall for Blazina, who finished with a team-high nine kills on .500 hitting. She had just a single error on her 16 swings on the night and provided some momentum swinging kills with her explosive leaping ability.
"I think we have tweaked some things with our offense and Josie is someone that is so fast that I think when we're able to get the ball to her at that speed she can be up in the air and it really stresses out the defense," Lawrence said. "I think not only did her kills and the points she was scoring help us, but I think her presence in making our offense that much faster was what allowed us to be so aggressive."
The second set started incredibly tight with eight ties and four lead changes all before the first stoppage. The break finally came with Utah Tech taking a 15-14 lead to force the media timeout.
From there, it was all Utah Tech. They went on a 7-0 run and closed the set out with 11 of the final 14 points to win 25-17.
Utah Tech entered the match on an 11-match winning streak. This week they also brought Kennedi Knudsen and Casidy Fried, a pair of 5th year players with All-Conference resumes, back into the fold after they missed the first 16 games.
The depth for the Trailblazers was on display as the duo combined for 12 kills, but allowed Utah Tech to outlast the Grizzlies the later the match went.
"It was nice that they played in Bozeman first so we got a little bit of a look at those two. They are just phenomenal," Lawrence said. "To have that as their addition this weekend, we watched as much as we could of their arms but I think going into this weekend so much of our focus has been on our own production and our own side. There's tactical pieces that we were game planning around, but ultimately we need to be more consistent with our own production."
The Grizzlies pulled out to a 4-2 lead and went back up again 7-5 after a three-point rally. Utah Tech scored 11 of the next 13 points to seize control of the match for good. They finished it off in three sets with a 25-16 win in the third.
Mylee Blake had a match-high 18 digs for Montana with Madeline Sanderson contributing 15 digs. Montana as a whole has improved on the defensive side of the ball, extending rallies out with the 62 digs on the night.
"I'm encouraged by some defensive structural pieces that we've been working to implement for weeks and weeks," Lawrence said. "I think we're game planning and putting pressure on teams that are offensively on fire in really good ways."
There were over 1,000 fans in attendance for the match, which was the first-ever meeting between Montana and Utah Tech. It's the 30th match in program history to have a crowd of over 1,000.
Montana hits the midway point of the season next week with a split weekend. They travel to Idaho State on Thursday. The Bengals are 6-2 and sit in second place in the league standings, tied with Northern Arizona. It's the only meeting between the Griz and Bengals this year.
The Grizzlies then return home on Saturday, Oct. 24 for an afternoon match against Weber State. The Wildcats are 5-3 in league play.
Montana finished with 62 digs as they extended rally after rally against the top team in the Big Sky Conference and held them under their season average for hitting percentage, but in the end the Trailblazers were able to force through a win.
"I think we did a great job battling in all the broken plays especially," head coach Allison Lawrence said. "I think we extended rallies really well. Our first contact both in serve-receive and on defense was poised and resilient and the quality of our first contact didn't break down as rallies continued. I think that allowed for exciting rallies and it allowed us to push them and get them on their heels in moments, especially in the first set."
Utah Tech had an early 7-0 run in the match that allowed them to build a 10-4 lead as they looked every part the undefeated team. The Grizzlies continued to trail for much of the first as a service ace from the Trailblazers later on made it 22-16.
Montana rallied from there, starting with a kill from Delaney Russell, who then went back to the service line. The Griz followed it up with a kill from Sophia Vella, one from Sydney Pierce, and then a block from Vella and Pierce combined to force Utah Tech into a timeout.
Annika Wright recorded a kill on the setter's dump out of the break to get Montana back within one point at 22-21. Montana forced the first tie since 4-4 after a bad set from the Trailblazers made it 23-all.
Josie Blazina skied for a huge block and then had two kills to keep Montana in it late. All three plays came with Montana facing set point as Blazina and the Griz extended the set well into extra time.
Utah Tech finally capitalized on a set point to win the first 28-26.
Blazina had four kills on .600 hitting to go with three blocks in the first set. All four of Montana's team blocks on the night came in the first set as they held Utah Tech to a match-low .163 hitting percentage.
It was a big night overall for Blazina, who finished with a team-high nine kills on .500 hitting. She had just a single error on her 16 swings on the night and provided some momentum swinging kills with her explosive leaping ability.
"I think we have tweaked some things with our offense and Josie is someone that is so fast that I think when we're able to get the ball to her at that speed she can be up in the air and it really stresses out the defense," Lawrence said. "I think not only did her kills and the points she was scoring help us, but I think her presence in making our offense that much faster was what allowed us to be so aggressive."
The second set started incredibly tight with eight ties and four lead changes all before the first stoppage. The break finally came with Utah Tech taking a 15-14 lead to force the media timeout.
From there, it was all Utah Tech. They went on a 7-0 run and closed the set out with 11 of the final 14 points to win 25-17.
Utah Tech entered the match on an 11-match winning streak. This week they also brought Kennedi Knudsen and Casidy Fried, a pair of 5th year players with All-Conference resumes, back into the fold after they missed the first 16 games.
The depth for the Trailblazers was on display as the duo combined for 12 kills, but allowed Utah Tech to outlast the Grizzlies the later the match went.
"It was nice that they played in Bozeman first so we got a little bit of a look at those two. They are just phenomenal," Lawrence said. "To have that as their addition this weekend, we watched as much as we could of their arms but I think going into this weekend so much of our focus has been on our own production and our own side. There's tactical pieces that we were game planning around, but ultimately we need to be more consistent with our own production."
The Grizzlies pulled out to a 4-2 lead and went back up again 7-5 after a three-point rally. Utah Tech scored 11 of the next 13 points to seize control of the match for good. They finished it off in three sets with a 25-16 win in the third.
Mylee Blake had a match-high 18 digs for Montana with Madeline Sanderson contributing 15 digs. Montana as a whole has improved on the defensive side of the ball, extending rallies out with the 62 digs on the night.
"I'm encouraged by some defensive structural pieces that we've been working to implement for weeks and weeks," Lawrence said. "I think we're game planning and putting pressure on teams that are offensively on fire in really good ways."
There were over 1,000 fans in attendance for the match, which was the first-ever meeting between Montana and Utah Tech. It's the 30th match in program history to have a crowd of over 1,000.
Montana hits the midway point of the season next week with a split weekend. They travel to Idaho State on Thursday. The Bengals are 6-2 and sit in second place in the league standings, tied with Northern Arizona. It's the only meeting between the Griz and Bengals this year.
The Grizzlies then return home on Saturday, Oct. 24 for an afternoon match against Weber State. The Wildcats are 5-3 in league play.
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
MB/OPP
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
UTTECH
Mont
Kills
41
38
Errors
14
24
Attempts
126
133
Hitting %
.214
.105
Points
60.0
43.0
Assists
37
37
Aces
7
1
Blocks
12
4
Game Leaders
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Tuesday, October 06
Monday, October 05
Tuesday, September 15
Wednesday, September 09
