MISSOULA, Mont. (October 4, 2025)Â -Â In a battle between the top two teams in the Big Sky Conference, the Northern Arizona women's volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 22-25) to Montana (11-4, 3-1 Big Sky) on Saturday inside Dahlberg Arena.
NAU (12-5, 3-1 Big Sky) came out firing in the opening set, hitting .280 and controlling the tempo behind six kills from Hanah Stoddard, five from Gigi Greenlee, and three from Kylie Moran to take a convincing 25-17 win.
The momentum shifted in the second set as Montana responded with stronger defense and timely blocking. Despite another eight kills from Stoddard and seven assists from Ella Hosfeld, the Lumberjacks couldn't close the gap, dropping the set 25-23.
The third set featured a tight exchange early, with the score tied seven times up to 11-11. From there, the Grizzlies used a 6-1 run to pull ahead 22-15. NAU answered with a late 6-2 surge to close within 24-21 before Montana finished the set with a kill.
Set four remained even through 8-8 before Montana strung together a 4-0 run. NAU erased the deficit to tie the score at 12-12, and the teams continued trading points to 19-19. The hosts then took a 22-19 lead on a combination of kills and a block, but NAU fought back with three straight points to even it at 22-22. Montana's offense, however, proved too steady in the final moments, securing the 25-22 set win and the match.
Stoddard led all players with 23 kills while hitting .225, and Moran added a double-double with 10 kills and 16 digs. Hosfeld also recorded a double-double with 26 assists and 14 digs, while libero Melia Barlow anchored the back row with 19 digs.
The Lumberjacks finished the night hitting .234 with 70 kills, while Montana hit .219 with 79 kills. NAU posted seven total blocks, led by Sophia Wadsworth and Greenlee with four apiece, Avery Gottschalk with three, and Masina Perez with two.
Northern Arizona returns home next week for a pair of Big Sky matchups inside the Rolle Activity Center. The Lumberjacks host Portland State on Oct. 9 at 6:30 p.m. MST and Sacramento State on Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. MST.
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