October 17, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State (S.D.) capped their Frontier Conference three-match home stand undefeated Saturday afternoon, sweeping Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in three straight sets at the DSU Fieldhouse. The Trojans extended their winning streak to five matches after defeating the Battlin' Bears by scores of 25-22, 25-16, and 25-18.
DSU lifted their overall record to 14-8 and 11-5 in Frontier Conference play. The Trojans are also 8-2 record at home this season, highlighted by upsetting No. 7 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) in four sets earlier this week. Rocky Mountain fell to 4-17 overall and 2-14 in league action.
How it happened
Rocky Mountain jumped to an early 5-1 advantage before Dakota State rallied to take control of the opening set.
The Trojans erased the deficit and grabbed their first lead at 8-7 following a kill by
Raya Van Beek. Dakota State extended its lead to 12-9 after a service ace by
Gabi Borresen, forcing Rocky Mountain to call a timeout.
The Battlin' Bears battled back to tie the set at 13-13 before Dakota State responded with three consecutive points for a 16-13 advantage.
The Trojans stretched their lead to 18-14 and maintained the advantage until Rocky Mountain mounted a late rally. The Battlin' Bears trimmed DSU's lead to 22-21.
Macey Wathen answered with a kill to give Dakota State a 23-21 lead. After Rocky Mountain pulled within 23-22,
Rylee Thompson delivered a kill for set point. A Rocky Mountain attack error secured the Trojans' 25-22 victory.
Both teams registered 13 kills in the opening set. Dakota State hit .085 (9 errors in 47 swings) while Rocky Mountain finished at .058 (10 errors in 52 attempts).
Dakota State turned in its strongest offensive performance of the afternoon in the second set, producing 17 kills and just one attack error in 35 attempts for an impressive .457 hitting percentage.
The teams exchanged points throughout the early stages, with Rocky Mountain briefly taking a 10-9 advantage.
Dakota State answered with five consecutive points to build a 14-10 lead, highlighted by a service ace from
Kate VanRooyan and a kill by
Macey Wathen.
The Trojans maintained their momentum and pulled away for the nine-point victory, taking a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Rocky Mountain finished the second set with 12 kills and a .205 hitting percentage but could not match Dakota State's offensive efficiency.
Dakota State completed the sweep with a 25-18 victory in the third set, despite trailing 9-3. The Trojans closed the third set on a monstrous 22-9 scoring run.
The Trojans collected 14 kills on 43 attempts, finishing with a .186 hitting percentage. Rocky Mountain recorded 11 kills and hit .093 in the final frame.
Inside the box score
Dakota State recorded 44 kills and a .224 hitting percentage (16 errors in 125 swings), compared to Rocky Mountain's 36 kills and .112 hitting efficiency (21 errors in 134 attempts). The Trojans also held a 61-53 advantage in digs and collected three service aces while limiting the Battlin' Bears to none.
The Trojans featured a balanced offensive attack, with
Macey Wathen and
Lauryn Kloth each recording eight kills. Wathen posted a .389 hitting percentage with just one attack error in 18 attempts, while Kloth hit .333 with three errors in 15 swings.
Kaedyn Sapp and Van Beek each added seven kills. Thompson contributed five kills, while
Kaylee Evenson finished with four.
Emily Nelson paced Dakota State's offense with 22 set assists, followed by Borresen with 17 assists. Nelson also registered three kills in three attempts, five digs and a service ace. Borresen also had a service ace.
Kate VanRooyan anchored the Trojans' defense with a match-high 16 digs and a service ace.
Sydney Wathen added 10 digs, while Borresen recorded nine and
Reagan VanRooyan collected eight digs.
Olivia Fauth led the Battlin' Bears with a match-high 11 kills on 34 attempts and a .176 hitting percentage.
Sadie Meier added eight kills, nine digs and three block assists. Ella Kincaid and Sydney Nance each contributed six kills, while Kaitlyn Wood recorded five kills and three block assists.
Rylee McMillan led Rocky Mountain with 23 set assists and nine digs, while Kristyn Mentink added seven assists. Zoey Albert paced the Battlin' Bears with 17 digs and three assists.
Up next
Dakota State heads to Montana for a pair of Frontier Conference matches next weekend. The Trojans visit Montana Tech Friday evening at 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Butte. DSU then travels to Montana Western next Saturday evening at 6 p.m. (CT)/5 p.m. (MT) in Dillon.
