November 13, 2025
HELENA, Mont. — No. 5 seed Montana Tech used a balanced, efficient attack and several key scoring runs to defeat No. 4 seed (RV) Dakota State 25–22, 25–21, 23–25, 25–23 in Thursday afternoon's Frontier Conference Quarterfinal at the Carroll College PE Center.
The Orediggers (17–12 overall record) produced 63 kills while hitting .261, riding standout performances from their front line to advance to Friday's semifinals versus top-seeded Providence (Mont.).
Dakota State fought back after falling behind 2–0, taking the third set and pushing the fourth to the wire before Tech closed out the match.
Set 1 Highlights
Dakota State opened strong with a 3–0 burst behind a kill and ace from
Sophie Tuttle, then extended the lead to 5–1 after a swing from
Tristyn Maras.
Montana Tech countered with a 14–6 push sparked by Payton Treadwell, Kinnidi Willmore, and Kennedy Oman, flipping a 7–5 deficit into a 19–11 advantage.
DSU climbed back within 20–17 thanks to blocks from
Ashley Wangler and kills from
Macey Wathen and Tuttle.
But the Orediggers held on, and
Madison Biery delivered the set-winning kill.
Tech hit .300 in the frame with 17 kills.
Set 2 Highlights
Trailing 7–6 early, Montana Tech ripped off a 7–1 run that included kills from Willmore, Treadwell, and Dodson, plus a block from Treadwell.
Bellevue extended the lead to 16–9 behind an Emmy Green service ace, eventually stretching the margin to 20–14.
DSU mounted a late charge—three straight points with a kill and ace from
Maddi Langerock—closing the gap to 20–18 and later 21–19.
But Tech answered with kills from Biery and Dodson, then closed out the set on back-to-back points.
The Orediggers hit .350 in the second set with only three errors.
Set 3 Highlights
Dakota State delivered its biggest response in the third. After trailing 18–14, DSU reeled off an 11–5 closing surge.
Tristyn Maras fueled the comeback with six kills in the set, while
Sophie Tuttle added four. DSU also tallied
4.0 blocks in the frame, including key stops from
Wangler,
Macey Wathen, and
Bruflat.
Montana Tech still led 22–18, but DSU rattled off seven of the final eight points—highlighted by a
Macey Wathen service ace, a Tuttle kill, and two late Maras swings.
DSU sealed the set at 25–23 when Maras blocked a Willmore attack.
Set 4 Highlights
Tech grabbed early control with a 6–2 start behind Treadwell and Oman, then pushed it to 10–6 after consecutive DSU hitting errors.
The Trojans clawed back repeatedly—tying the set at 18–18, 20–20, and eventually 21–21—behind kills from
Tuttle,
Maras, and
Langerock, plus a pair of DSU blocks from
Wangler and
M. Wathen.
But Montana Tech steadied late.
A service ace from
Brooklynn Hayes made it 19–11 earlier in the set; now, clutch swings from Treadwell and Dodson lifted Tech to a 24–22 edge.
After a DSU sideout,
Talan Dodson closed the match with her 10th kill.
Tech hit .188 in the frame with 16 kills, while DSU hit .085.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Dakota State
Montana Tech
- Payton Treadwell: 14 kills, .393; 4 blocks; 16.5 points
- Kinnidi Willmore: 15 kills, 53 attempts; 16.0 points
- Kennedy Oman: 12 kills, .667; 3 blocks
- Talan Dodson: 10 kills
- Madison Biery: 5 kills, 3 blocks
- Brooklynn Hayes: 28 digs, 2 aces
- Rhys Layton: 37 assists, 7 digs
- Team totals: 63 kills, .261 hitting; 5 aces; 8.0 blocks; 72 digs
Up Next
Dakota State closes its 2025 campaign at
16–13 overall record, their third straight winning season. The Trojans also recorded double digit wins 15 times in the last 16 seasons.
Seniors
Maddi Langerock and
Leilani Weber ended their collegiate career at Dakota State Thursday.
