The MSU-Northern Skylights battled but came up short against No. 5 Bellevue, dropping a four-set match (16-25, 16-25, 25-17, 13-25) on Friday night in Havre.

Northern opened the match strong, scoring the first three points of set one, but Bellevue quickly answered with a 5-0 run to take control and pulled away late to secure the opener. In set two, the Skylights kept pace early, pulling within 12-11, before Bellevue surged ahead to take a 2-0 match lead.

The Skylights flipped the momentum in set three, racing out to a 7-3 start. Bellevue briefly regained the lead, but Northern responded with a decisive 7-0 run down the stretch to close out the set 25-17. The Bruins regrouped in the fourth, starting with a 7-0 run of their own to grab a 12-5 advantage. They never looked back, sealing the match with a 25-13 win.

Northern finished with a .094 hitting percentage, recording 41 kills, 38 assists, and 66 digs. Macy Uffelman led the attack with 10 kills and a .231 hitting percentage, while Mace Selman turned in a standout all-around performance with 10 kills, 20 assists, and 15 digs.

Bellevue hit .247 on the night with 53 kills, 10 blocks, and six service aces. Eve Fountain paced the Bruins with 13 kills, 11 digs, and a .323 hitting percentage. Mila Aiwohi added 17 assists and six digs, while Zoie Roghair chipped in 16 digs.

With the loss, the Skylights move to 8-7 overall and 6-3 in Frontier Conference play. They return to action on the road next weekend against Montana Western and Montana Tech.