The Montana State University-Northern Skylights fell to Montana Tech 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-20) Saturday afternoon at the HPER Complex.
The loss moves Northern to 7-7 overall and 3-5 in Frontier Conference play, while Montana Tech improves to 11-3 overall and 6-2 in conference action.
The Orediggers controlled the opening set, hitting .643 with nine kills and no errors to take the frame 25-11. Northern recorded nine kills of its own but struggled to sustain its offensive momentum.
Montana Tech continued its strong play in the second set, posting 11 kills while holding the Skylights to eight kills and a .033 hitting percentage. The Orediggers closed out the set 25-14 to take a 2-0 advantage.
Northern battled back in the third set, recording six kills and staying within striking distance. Montana Tech, however, finished with 14 kills in the final frame and secured the 25-20 victory.
The Skylights finished the match with 23 kills, seven service aces and eight blocks. Northern hit .092 as a team, while Montana Tech hit .292 with 34 kills, 11 aces and nine blocks.
Macy Uffelman and
Kendall Scheffelmear led Northern with six kills apiece. Scheffelmear also recorded a team-best four blocks, while Uffelman added two blocks and six digs.
Holly Newman contributed four kills, while
Caleigh Case added two kills and two blocks.
Addison Falls Down paced the Skylights with 10 assists, and
Emily Bird finished with nine assists.
Kambria Maloy led Northern with three service aces and added six digs. Uffelman also recorded six digs, while Bird finished with three.
Montana Tech was led by Halle Moomaw with nine kills, followed by Talan Dodson with seven and Payton Treadwell with six. Rhys Layton recorded 29 assists and four blocks, while Brooklynn Hayes led the Orediggers with five aces and 11 digs.
The Skylights will return home for their next contest when they host Dakota State University on Friday, Oct. 2. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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