The MSU-Northern Skylights closed out the Big Sky Challenge with a hard-fought five-set battle, but ultimately fell to RV Ottawa University-Arizona (25-19, 11-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-9) on Saturday.

Both teams struggled offensively in a defensive grind, with Northern hitting .102 and Ottawa at .113. The Skylights tallied 15 blocks, 81 digs, and seven service aces, while the Spirit finished with 59 kills, 53 assists, and 89 digs.

The opening set was tight until OUAZ closed on a 4-0 run to pull away. Northern responded in dominant fashion in the second, jumping out to a 12-1 lead and cruising to a 25-11 win. Ottawa answered in the third, using a pair of key runs to regain control. The Skylights forced a fifth set by seizing momentum in the fourth with a 5-0 run midway through and holding strong down the stretch. In the deciding frame, OUAZ grabbed an early 6-2 lead and never looked back to secure the match.

Lexi Jones paced Northern with 11 kills on .240 hitting, while Josie Hasler added a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Bailey Egan anchored the back row with 21 digs, and Addison Falls Down contributed 19 assists and 10 digs.

For Ottawa, Lauren Wamsley led all players with 12 kills on .286 hitting while also collecting 31 digs. Kaiden Raif distributed 22 assists in the win.

With the loss, Northern drops to 2-4 on the season. The Skylights will play an exhibition scrimmage against Medicine Hat on August 30 at 1 p.m. before resuming regular-season action.