The Montana State–Northern Skylights battled hard but came up short against No. 7 Bellevue University, falling in straight sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-18) Friday evening in a Frontier Conference match up.
The opening set saw the Bruins jump out to an early 3-0 lead behind strong swings from Eve Fountain and Kealy Kiviniemi. Northern settled in midway through the set, using a short run to take a brief 13-12 edge. However, Bellevue responded with consistent serving and a late push, closing the frame 25-21 on a Fountain service ace.
The second set mirrored the first, with Bellevue again seizing early control. The Skylights fought back to even the score at 10-10 and grabbed a short-lived lead at 12-10 behind kills from
Macy Uffelman and
Macee Selman. The Bruins answered with a 6-1 run to retake the lead for good, riding their block and balanced attack to close out the set 25-19.
In the third, Northern opened strong, jumping out to a 3-0 start. Bellevue quickly regrouped, taking a 7-5 lead and never trailing again. The Bruins extended their advantage to 16-9 midway through the set and sealed the match 25-18 to complete the sweep.
Bellevue's front-row defense and efficiency at the net proved decisive. The Bruins hit .279 for the match with 12 team blocks, while holding Northern to a .194 clip and 5 blocks. Bellevue also edged the Skylights in aces, 3-2.
Individual Leaders
- Montana State–Northern: Macy Uffelman led the way with 10 kills and a .320 hitting percentage. Macee Selman added 7 kills, and 17 assists.
- Bellevue: Eve Fountain was nearly unstoppable, finishing with 11 kills on 24 swings (.458), while Kealy Kiviniemi added 10 kills at .350. Savanna Berger tallied 8 kills and 4 blocks.
Montana State–Northern moved to 15-10 overall and 13-6 in Conference. The Skylights will play tomorrow against (RV) Dakota State at 12pm.
