September 20, 2025
MADISON, S.D. – (RV) Dakota State (S.D.) turned in one of its biggest wins of the season, sweeping NAIA's nationally ranked No. 19 Montana Tech 25-23, 25-16, 25-19 in Frontier Conference volleyball action at DSU Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon. The Trojans earned their first win over the nationally ranked team and posted their fourth consecutive 3-0 sweeps as they concluded their four-match conference home stand.
Dakota State raised their overall record to 9-3, while Montana Tech fell to 9-4 overall record. Both teams are 5-2 record in the Frontier Conference matches.
Match Highlights
- Set 1: The Trojans edged a back-and-forth opener. Sophie Tuttle delivered a late kill and Maddi Langerock followed with the set-clinching point as DSU closed on a 5-2 run to win 25-23.
- Set 2: Dakota State's offense erupted, hitting .500 as Tuttle and Macey Wathen combined for key kills during a 7-0 stretch that broke it open for a 25-16 victory.
- Set 3: Tristyn Maras and Tuttle each notched timely kills to keep DSU in control, finishing the sweep 25-19.
Team Stats
- Hitting: DSU hit .252 overall (51 kills, 18 errors, 131 attacks), highlighted by a scorching .500 second set.
- Defense: The Trojans collected 72 digs and held the Orediggers to .188 hitting (38 kills, 12 errors, 138 attacks.
- Serving & Blocking: DSU tallied three aces (98.6 service percentage) and added 2.0 total blocks, keeping Montana Tech under pressure throughout. The Orediggers had seven blocks and committed eight service errors in 59 serves (86.4 percent).
Individual Leaders
Montana Tech Leaders
For Montana Tech, Dodson finished with 10 kills (.435 hitting), while Willmore added 10 kills and five digs. Setter Ellie Reinertson and Rhys Layton each collected 16 assists, and libero Emmy Green posted 16 digs.
Up Next
Dakota State heads west in the state of Montana for a pair of Frontier Conference matches. The Trojans visit MSU-Northern Friday evening at 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Havre, Mont. DSU then travels to Great Falls, Mont., next Saturday to take on the conference's leader No. 4 ranked Providence (Mont.) at 3 p.m. (Central Time)/2 p.m. (Mountain Time).
