The Montana State–Northern Skylights battled hard but fell in four sets to Dakota State University on Saturday afternoon, dropping the match 22-25, 25-23, 9-25, and 16-25 at the DSU Fieldhouse.

The opening set was tight from start to finish, with both teams trading points early. The Skylights stayed within striking distance, but a late surge from the Trojans gave them the 25-22 win. Northern responded in the second set with their best offensive stretch of the afternoon. Strong play at the net and improved serve receive helped the Skylights edge out a 25-23 victory to even the match at one set apiece.

Momentum shifted quickly in the third, as Dakota State came out firing. The Trojans controlled the set from the service line and on defense, holding Northern to just nine points in a dominant 25-9 frame. DSU carried that energy into the fourth, building an early lead and never looking back to secure the 25-16 win and the match.

Macee Selman led the Skylights' attack with 13 kills on 38 attempts, while Josie Hasler added eight kills and Lexa Stock chipped in seven.

As a team, the Skylights tallied 34 kills on 173 attempts, hitting .040 for the match. Dakota State finished with 54 kills and a .200 hitting percentage, led by Tristyn Maras with 18 kills, while Macey Wathen and Sophie Tuttle each added 10.

With the loss, Montana State–Northern moves to 15-11 overall and 13-7 in Conference after their weekend road trip. The Skylights will look to bounce back next weekend in a match up against Montana Western at home at 7pm on Thursday night.