Griz reach midway point of league play

MONTANA (6-13, 2-6 Big Sky) at IDAHO STATE (14-6, 6-2 Big Sky)
Thursday, Oct. 22 / Pocatello, Idaho / Watch / Live Stats

MONTANA vs. WEBER STATE (12-6, 5-3 Big Sky)
Saturday, Oct. 24 / Missoula, Mont. / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

Montana volleyball will reach the midway point of the league schedule with a split weekend, playing at Idaho State on Thursday and hosting Weber State on Saturday.

It's also the midway point of the most difficult stretch of the season for the Grizzlies as the split weekend against the second and third ranked teams in the RPI is sandwiched between a pair of matches against league leaders Utah Tech.

Montana is 2-3 in its previous five matches and has been playing improved volleyball of late. They will hope that the new-look rotation that has helped them pick up a pair of wins will continue to find its groove as they hunt for postseason positioning.

The Grizzlies reach the midway point in a postseason battle as four teams currently sit within a game of each other from 7-10 in the league standings. Idaho State is in second place and Weber State in fourth going into this week.

Already one of the best ground defenses in the league and a top 50 team in the country in digs per set (15.28), Montana has been even better recently. Over the last five matches, the Grizzlies are averaging 17.35 digs per set.

Madeline Sanderson has made a leap as well at the libero position. She is averaging 5.82 digs per set over the last five, including a 30-dig performance at Northern Arizona that set a Grizzly program record in a three-set match.

The defense as a whole has improved as the Griz are holding teams to .176 hitting over the previous five matches, down from the season average of .228 by opponents. But the same is true of Montana's hitting percentage, which is down from a season average to .155 over the last five matches.

They will need to be firing on all cylinders this weekend against two very good defensive teams.

Idaho State leads the country in digs per set at 18.04. It's been a consistent strength for the Bengals under head coach Sean Carter, who is 69-71 in his five seasons in Pocatello. ISU is also averaging 2.54 blocks per set to rank 3^rd in the conference while holding opponents to just .165 hitting.

Weber State is one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, entering the week on a three-match winning streak that includes a victory in Pocatello over Idaho State and a 3-1 win against Northern Colorado.

The Wildcats have the best block in the Big Sky, averaging 2.73 per set to rank 19^th nationally. Weber State is hitting .231 on the year while holding opponents under .200. They are 6-3 on the road this year.

This is the only matchup against Idaho State and Weber State this season. Once the Griz make it through this two-game slate, they will play the schedule from the first half of league play in reverse, starting with Utah Tech and ending on Nov. 20 at Montana State.

FOUR-MATCH GAUNTLET
Montana is in the midst of the most difficult four-match stretch you could have in the Big Sky Conference this season. It started on Saturday by hosting league leaders Utah Tech. They follow it up on the road at second-place Idaho State and then hosting Weber State on Saturday.

They start the following week at Utah Tech for the second meeting against the undefeated Trailblazers in a four-match stretch. The opponents are the top three teams in the league according to the latest RPI rankings with all three inside the top 120 nationally.

LAWRENCE CLOSES IN ON 100 WINS
Head coach Allison Lawrence is in her 10th season leading Montana and is closing in on a career milestone. Lawrence has 99 wins with Montana. She would become just the third coach in program history to reach 100 wins, joining Dick Scott (403) and Jerry Wagner (102).

Lawrence could move into second in program history for career wins this year with another 10-win season. Her teams have won at least 10 matches in each of the previous five seasons.

GRIZ SEEK FIRST ROAD WIN
Montana is 0-7 in true road matches this year. They have lost nine straight road matches overall dating back to last season. The Grizzlies have found success away from Missoula, going 4-3 in neutral site matches, but are still seeking a true road win.

MONTANA NOTES

Madeline Sanderson's 30 digs were the most in a 3-set match in the NCAA since 9/20/25 when Alana Torres-Rivera of Houston recorded 30 against McNeese St.
Montana recorded 65 digs at Northern Arizona. It's the most in a 3-set match by the Griz since 2024 when they had 66 vs. Montana State.
UM leads the Big Sky in aces per set with 1.69 per set. They rank 72nd nationally in the category.
Montana is seeking its first road win of the season. They are 0-7 this year and have lost nine straight dating back to the last road win on Nov. 7, 2025 at Montana State.
The Griz won their first four-set match of the season last Thursday vs. Southern Utah. They are now 1-7 in four-set matches in 2026.
The Griz hit over .300 for the first time this season with a .323 percentage in the sweep of Idaho on Oct. 3.
The program picked up all-time win number 700 on Oct. 3 against Idaho.
When losing the first set, Montana is just 1-10 this season. The only time they have come from behind was on Sep. 5 vs. Cal Baptist.
The Griz have more assists than their opponent just three times this season. They are 3-0 when doing so, but 3-12 when allowing more assists.
Montana is 2-3 at home this season. They are 0-7 in road contests and 4-3 in neutral site matches.
16 sets have been decided by the minimum of two points this season. The Grizzlies are 7-9 in those sets.
Montana recorded 80 digs on Oct. 1 vs. Eastern Washington. It's the 3rd most digs in a 4-set match by a Big Sky team this season and the most by the Griz in a 4-set match since Oct. 4, 2025 when they had 93 vs. Northern Arizona.
More than half of Montana's matches have ended in a sweep. Four of Montana's six wins have come in sweeps. The Griz are 4-6 in three-set matches.
Montana is 5-3 when hitting over .200, and 1-10 when held below .200.
UM has more service aces than its opponent in 12 of 19 matches.
Gracie Cagle's 7 service aces vs. EWU (10/1) were the most by a Big Sky player this season and tied for the 5th most in a single match by any player in program history.
UM has not won consecutive matches yet this season. They are 0-6 following a win.
Five Grizzlies have played every set of the season. Delaney Russell, Josie Blazina, Gracie Cagle, Annika Wright, and Madeline Sanderson haven't missed a set.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE (14-6, 6-2 Big Sky)

The Bengals are 1-2 in their previous three matches. Prior to that, they had started Big Sky play with five straight wins, losing just two sets in the process.
Idaho State has been better on the road than at home this season. They are 4-3 inside Reed Gym and 6-1 in true road matches.
They come in at 101 in the latest RPI Rankings, the 2^nd best team in the Big Sky behind Utah Tech.
Head coach Sean Carter is 69-71 in five seasons as head coach at Idaho State.
ISU leads the country in digs per set, averaging 18.04 this season. They rank 3^rd in the conference in blocks per set at 2.54 and are holding opponents to .165 hitting.
The Bengals are hitting .191 on the year to rank 7^th in the Big Sky.
Aspen Boice leads the Big Sky Conference and ranks 14^th nationally with 4.81 digs per set. She is the only player in the league averaging more than Montana's Madeline Sanderson.
Jaydin Watts is averaging 1.25 blocks per set this season to rank 2^nd in the conference and top 60 nationally. Watts is also near the top of the league rankings in hitting percentage, ranking 3^rd at .383 hitting.
Isabella Beatty averages 1.02 blocks per set to rank 7^th in the conference.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BENGALS
Montana leads the all-time series against Idaho State 48-42. The Grizzlies are 20-26 in Pocatello and have lost two straight inside Reed Gym.

Idaho State has won three of the last four matches in the series, but Montana is 4-3 in the previous seven.

SCOUTING WEBER STATE (12-6, 5-3 Big Sky)

The Wildcats have won three straight matches, all in four sets, over the last two weeks. They started the streak at Southern Utah before wins at Idaho State and home vs. Northern Colorado.
Weber State is 6-3 on the road this season. They will start their week at home vs. Montana State before traveling up to Missoula.
Head coach Jeremiah Larsen is 196-142 in 12 seasons as Weber State's head coach. They have won at least 14 matches in eight straight seasons under Larsen.
Weber State comes in at 120 in the latest RPI Rankings. They are third in the Big Sky.
WSU leads the Big Sky Conference in blocks at 2.73, ranking 19^th in the country at the net.
The Wildcats are hitting .231 on the year (4^th in the Big Sky) and holding opponents to .197 hitting.
Middle blocker Ziya Munyer leads the conference and is in the top 30 nationally in blocking. Munyer averages 1.37 per set. She also ranks 2^nd in the conference in hitting percentage at .384.
Libero Marly Pratt averages 4.31 digs per set to rank 3^rd in the Big Sky Conference.
Rose Moore is 3^rd in the Big Sky with 3.48 kills per set. Lexie Carlson is also in the top 10 in the league in attacking with 2.94 kills per set.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE WILDCATS
Montana leads the all-time series against Weber State 49-43. The Grizzlies are 27-17 in matches played in Missoula, including a four-set win last year in Dahlberg Arena.

Prior to last season's win, Weber State had won 13 straight matches in the series. They have won 15 of the last 16 overall over the Griz, including a 3-0 win at the Big Sky Tournament last November.

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Players Mentioned

Josie Blazina

Gracie Cagle

Delaney Russell

Madeline Sanderson

Annika Wright

University of Montana Athletics