Griz host Cats to open Big Sky play

MONTANA (4-7) vs. MONTANA STATE (7-4)
Tuesday, Sept. 22 / 7:00 p.m. / Missoula, Mont. / Watch / Live Stats / Tickets

MONTANA at NORTHERN COLORADO (4-7)
Thursday, Sept. 24 / 6:00 p.m. / Greeley, Colo. / Watch / Live Stats

At long last, the Griz are coming home. Montana volleyball will play its first match of the season inside Dahlberg Arena on Tuesday night, and they will open up with the biggest match of the season as rival Montana State comes to town.

The first matchup between the two rival institutions of the 2026-27 school year will come on the volleyball court on a Tuesday night, a new quirk of the 11-team Big Sky. But it means that the rivalry will take center stage as the only league match of the night.

First serve is at 7:00 p.m. with the match streamed live on ESPN+ with the "Voice of the Griz" Riley Corcoran on the call.

The Griz enter the matchup with a 4-7 record after a non-conference that tested them in ways that head coach Allison Lawrence is hoping will help them as they prepare for the 18-match Big Sky slate.

"I'm excited to get into conference play," Lawrence said. "I do think that we have played a non-conference schedule that exposed both our strengths and weaknesses in a way that we feel very prepared and ready to go."

This is a match that three times in the last five years has set a Montana program attendance record and is once again tracking to be one of the biggest crowds in Montana volleyball history.

After a non-conference that Lawrence described as disappointing, there will be some relief that Montana finally gets to come home and play on their own floor in front of a large arena full of Griz fans.

There has been plenty of learning that has accompanied four straight weeks on the road. Lawrence is hoping that her team will channel all the emotions of the last month and let them out in a productive manner on Tuesday night.

"I think with this group in particular, everything we learned throughout the non-conference sort of has an emotional response from us," Lawrence said. "I think there will be some catharsis in going into this match and letting all those emotions out in a very directed way."

The teams both are in the midst of a slog of matches. Montana will have five matches in an eight-day stretch after the travel to Greeley to play Northern Colorado on Thursday.

The Bobcats will face Northern Colorado on Saturday, but are coming off a non-conference tournament in Macon, Georgia. It is an exhausting stretch physically, but the excitement of taking the floor in a rivalry match should more than get the Griz through it.

"I know matches are way more fun than training and we have a lot of matches in eight days so I think the team is just ready to take the floor again," Lawrence said. "I think this group is pretty good at knowing where their focus needs to be so I think they will be ready in that regard."

Montana is looking to retain the Main Line Trophy after they defeated Montana State in Bozeman last November, granting them possession of the traveling trophy for the offseason.

The Griz won the last meeting with the Cats, but they are trying to snap a two-match losing streak in Missoula to the rivals. It's a match that has brought out the very best of both sides for years, particularly as the attendance numbers and interest in the sport have grown over the last half-decade.

It's something that Lawrence takes pride in as volleyball in general has grown in the state of Montana with both programs pushing hard to help accelerate that growth. When it's time for Griz and Cats to face each other, Lawrence thinks it should also elevate the gameplay.

"To me, it should bring the best out of you," Lawrence said. "I think rivals are perhaps people that know you the best. They prepare for you a little differently, they are always watching film on you, you are just aware of what the other is doing all the time. I think you can't help but rise along with your rival and I think that's a cool relationship and a cool process."

Montana will have a quick turnaround yet again as they hit the road for a Thursday night match against preseason favorite Northern Colorado. The Bears also enter league play with a 4-7 record.

MAROON OUT – FREE SHIRTS
Montana will be wearing maroon on the floor and the team is asking Griz fans to match them to help Maroon Out the Cats. The first 500 fans in attendance on Tuesday night will receive a free BEAT STATE t-shirt.

THE MAIN LINE TROPHY
The Main Line Trophy will be back up for grabs on Saturday. The trophy, which was introduced to the rivalry in 2021, spent this offseason in Missoula after Montana's win in Bozeman last November.

Since its creation, Montana is 5-7 in regular season matches against Montana State. It's been a tight rivalry not only over the last 10 years but dating all the way back to the first meeting in 1975.

Montana State leads the all-time series 67-62, but Montana has the advantage in Missoula with a 31-27 home record in the series. Montana's win in Bozeman last year snapped a five-match winning streak in the rivalry for Montana State.

RECORD SETTING NUMBERS
Last year during the Brawl of the Wild match, Montana broke the program attendance record with 3,001 fans in attendance. It's the third time in the last four seasons that Montana has set a new record during the rivalry match.

Four of the top five single-game crowds in program history have come in this match over the last four years. The official attendances the last four years were 1,974 (2024), 2,205 (2022), 2,237 (2023), and the 3,001 number from last season.

BIG SKY OPENER HISTORY
The Grizzlies are 4-5 in Big Sky Conference openers under Coach Lawrence since 2017. Last year, Montana swept defending league champion Sacramento State in the conference opener.

This is the third time that Montana has hosted Montana State to start league play under Lawrence. The Grizzlies were swept on both previous occasions.

HOME OPENER
This is the latest home opener for Montana since 2017 when the first home match fell on September 28. Under Lawrence, Montana is 4-5 in the first home match of the season.

The Griz have been very good in home openers recently, winning two straight and four of the last five.

MONTANA SEEKS 700^TH WIN
Montana, in its 52^nd overall season as a volleyball program, is seeking win number 700 overall on Tuesday. The Grizzlies have a 699-842 all-time record since the first season in 1975.

MONTANA NOTES

The service line has been strong for the Griz. They rank 53rd in the country in aces per set and have more aces than their opponents in eight of the 11 matches this year.
Seven of the 11 matches in the non-conference ended in a sweep. Montana only played three 4-set matches, losing all three. They went five sets just once, beating Cal Baptist. Five of the last six matches have ended in three sets for Montana.
The Griz are seeking the 700th win in program history.
10 sets have been decided by the minimum of two points this season. The Grizzlies are 5-5 in those sets.
When losing the first set, Montana is just 1-6 this season. The only time they have come from behind was on Sep. 5 vs. Cal Baptist.
Recorded more assists than their opponent just once this season. They are 3-7 when al-lowing more assists.
They are yet to outblock an opponent this season. They tied in blocks twice last week-end.
The Griz have yet to win back-to-back matches this season.
Delaney Russell leads Montana with 3.03 kills per set. Josie Blazina is the only other Grizzly averaging multiple kills per set at 2.05.
It's been a balanced offense this year with six players averaging at least 1.47 kills per set.
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 MONTANA STATE (7-4, 0-0 BIG SKY)

The Bobcats went 2-1 last weekend in Macon, Georgia at a tournament hosted by Mercer. Both wins came in five sets for Montana State, who has made a habit of winning late this year. Five of the seven wins for MSU have come in five sets this season. They are 5-1 in five-set matches. Montana, by contrast, has played just one five-set match, winning over Cal Baptist.
MSU went 8-8 in Big Sky play last season and were picked 6^th in the preseason poll this year.
Head coach Matt Houk is in his 4^th season at Montana State. He has a 53-47 record with the Bobcats.
The Cats are hitting .231 this year to rank 4^th in the Big Sky. They are 6^th in opponent hitting percentage, allowing .216 on the year.
MSU's libero Nicolette Noble was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after her play in Georgia. She averaged 3.93 digs as MSU went 2-1. Noble ranks 5^th in the Big Sky with 3.79 digs per set this season.
Middle blocker Joelie Spelts is hitting .379 this season to rank 2^nd in the Big Sky and 66^th nationally.
Setter Teagan Jaynes averages 8.29 assists per set to rank 3^rd in the league. She's also 3^rd in service aces with 17 total.
The Bobcats are 2-1 on the road this year, winning over Mercer and Lafayette.
The Cats and Griz share one common opponent this season. MSU defeated North Dakota State in five sets in Bozeman on Sept. 10. Montana lost to the Bison in four sets last weekend in Spokane.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BOBCATS
Montana State leads the all-time series 67-62. Montana leads 31-27 in Missoula but have lost two straight in Dahlberg Arena. Head coach Allison Lawrence is 7-12 against MSU.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO (4-7, 0-0 BIG SKY)

The Bears are 4-7 this season and enter Big Sky play coming off a loss vs. Utah. The match on Thursday will be their first Big Sky contest.
They went 11-5 in Big Sky play last season and then won the conference tournament on their home floor. They went on to lose in five sets at Creighton at the NCAA Tournament.
Northern Colorado was picked by the league's coaches as the favorites in the Big Sky this season.
Head coach Lindsey Oates is in her 22^nd season in Greeley and has a 396-257 overall record with the Bears.
The bears are hitting .243 this year, the 2^nd best mark in the Big Sky and 86^th in the country. They have struggled on the other side, allowing opponents to hit .227, which ranks second-worst in the league.
Northern Colorado averages 2.26 blocks per set, a top-100 mark in the country.
Nerea Alvarez-Jorge leads the Big Sky Conference in assists with 9.70 per set. She has 427 total assists, ranking inside the top 25 nationally in the category.
Gillian Walton leads UNC with 3.02 kills per set.
Bella LePore averages 4.00 digs per set to rank 2^nd in the Big Sky.
Middle blocker Summer Snead ranks 4^th in the league in hitting percentage (.361) and 7^th in blocks (1.00 per set).

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BEARS
Northern Colorado leads the all-time series 31-9 over Montana. They are 16-2 in Greeley vs. the Griz. The Bears are currently on a 22-match winning streak in the series dating back to 2014.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josie Blazina

Gracie Cagle

Delaney Russell

Madeline Sanderson

Annika Wright

University of Montana Athletics