October 21, 2026

FRONTIER CONFERENCE ACTION
THE MATCHES AT A GLANCE

Date: Friday, October 23 at Montana Tech Location: Valley Bank Arena I Butte, Mont.
Start Time: 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time)

 

Date: Saturday, October 24 at Montana Western Location: Straugh Gymnasium I Dillon, Mont.
Start Time: 6 p.m. (Central Time)/5 p.m. (Mountain Time)

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (14-8 overall record, 11-5 Frontier Conference record) heads on the road this weekend for a pair of Frontier Conference women's volleyball matches.  The Trojans visit Montana Tech (17-5 overall record, 12-4 Frontier) on Friday evening at Valley Bank Arena.  First serve is set for 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Butte, Mont.

DSU then travels south on Interstate 15 to Dillon, Mont., for another conference match with Montana Western (12-11 overall record, 11-5 Frontier).  The match is set for 6 p.m. (Central Time)/5 p.m. (Mountain Time) at Straugh Gymnasium.

QUICK HITS
*Dakota State (S.D.) carries their season-high five-match winning streak this weekend as they make their third trip to the state of Montana this weekend.

*Dakota State and Montana Tech are 7-3 record in the last 10 matches.  Montana Western is coming off from their seven-match winning streak before heading to this weekend's matches with No. 12 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) and DSU.

*The Trojans lead the Frontier Conference with 13.22 kills per set.  DSU also leads the league with 13.79 kills per set during the Frontier Conference play.

*Dakota State is seeking their first win over Montana Tech since Sept. 20, 2025, at DSU Fieldhouse.  The Orediggers had won the previous three meetings with the Trojans.  DSU had won two times in the first three meetings with MT, where the series began on Sept. 9, 2023, in La Crosse, Wis.

*DSU and Montana Western alternated wins in their first four meetings in the series.  The Bulldogs won the first all-time meeting on Sept. 14, 2019, in Salina, Kan.  The Trojans swept UMW in both home meetings at DSU Fieldhouse, including the recent meeting on Sept. 18.

*DSU plays their final home matches next weekend, hosting Providence (Mont.) and MSU-Northern.
 

Record	14-8	17-5	12-11
Kills	1097	1094	1150
Kills Per Set	13.2	12.7	12.6
Hitting %	.179	.241	.159
Assists	1015	988	1054
Assists Per Set	12.2	11.5	11.6
Digs	1512	1353	1653
Digs Per Set	18.2	15.7	18.2
Blocks	129	201.5	176
Blocks Per Set	1.6	2.3	1.9
Service Aces Per Set	1.2	1.9	1.4
Receptions	1602	1570	1896

SCOUTING THE MONTANA TECH OREDIGGERS
Montana Tech enters the week with a 17-5 overall record and a 12-4 mark in Frontier Conference play under head coach Brian Solomon. The Orediggers opened conference play with victories in seven of their first eight league matches and are tied with Providence (Mont.) for second place in the conference.

Montana Tech split its North Dakota road trip last weekend, sweeping Dickinson State (N.D.) before falling in five sets at Bismarck State (N.D.). Talan Dodson recorded 20 kills in the loss to BSC, while Brooklynn Hayes collected a career-high 36 digs.

Montana Tech earned a four-set victory over Dakota State in the first meeting of the season Sept. 19 in Madison. The Orediggers won 25-18, 25-19, 22-25 and 25-18.

SCOUTING THE MONTANA WESTERN BULLDOGS
Montana Western enters the week with a 12-11 overall record and an 11-5 mark in Frontier Conference play under head coach Katie Lovett. The Bulldogs have been one of the hottest teams in the league, winning seven consecutive matches after starting conference play 4-5.

The Bulldogs extended their winning streak last weekend with road victories over Bismarck State and Dickinson State. Montana Western defeated Bismarck State in four sets before outlasting Dickinson State in five, winning the deciding set 15-13 after the Blue Hawks rallied from a 2-0 deficit.

Dakota State swept Montana Western in the first meeting of the season Sept. 18 at the DSU Fieldhouse. The Trojans earned the straight-set victory before the Bulldogs began their current surge, going 8-2 record in their last 10 contests.

LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State (S.D.) completed a perfect three-match Frontier Conference home stand last week, defeating No. 7 Bellevue (Neb.) and Carroll (Mont.) in four sets before sweeping Rocky Mountain (Mont.). The Trojans extended their winning streak to five matches and improved to 14-8 overall and 11-5 in conference play.

Dakota State opened the home stand Oct. 14 with a 25-20, 18-25, 25-20 and 25-21 victory over No. 7 Bellevue. The win handed the Bruins their first Frontier Conference loss of the season and snapped Bellevue's 14-match winning streak. Kaedyn Sapp led the Trojans with 16 kills, while Raya Van Beek added 11. Kate VanRooyan anchored the defense with 26 digs as DSU held advantages of 63-47 in kills and 87-77 in digs.

The Trojans followed with a four-set victory over Carroll on Oct. 16, winning 29-27, 25-21, 20-25 and 25-23. Van Beek led a balanced offensive attack with 14 kills and a .619 hitting percentage, while Tristyn Maras added 12 kills and Sapp and Lauryn Kloth each finished with 10. VanRooyan collected a match-high 28 digs as Dakota State improved to 10-5 in conference play.

Dakota State closed the home stand Oct. 17 with a straight-set victory over Rocky Mountain, winning 25-22, 25-16 and 25-18. The Trojans hit .224 while holding the Battlin' Bears to a .112 hitting percentage. Macey Wathen and Kloth led DSU with eight kills apiece, while VanRooyan recorded 16 digs. The victory improved Dakota State to 8-2 at the DSU Fieldhouse this season.

AROUND THE FRONTIER CONFERENCE
No. 7 Bellevue remains atop the Frontier Conference standings with a 15-1 league record and a 19-3 overall mark despite suffering its first conference loss at Dakota State last week. The Bruins responded with victories in their next two matches and continue to hold a three-match advantage in the loss column.

Providence and Montana Tech are tied for second place at 12-4 in conference play. Providence has won six consecutive matches and enters the week at 18-5 overall, while Montana Tech is 17-5 after splitting its North Dakota road trip with a sweep of Dickinson State and a five-set loss at Bismarck State.

Dakota State and Montana Western are tied for fourth place at 11-5 in Frontier play. The Trojans have won five consecutive matches, while Montana Western carries a seven-match winning streak into the week. DSU travels to both Montana Tech and Montana Western this weekend in a pair of key matches near the top of the conference standings.

With just six conference contests remaining, (7) Bellevue, Providence, Montana Tech, Dakota State, and Montana Western have all clinched a Frontier Conference Tournament berth

UPCOMING DSU VOLLEYBALL JUNIOR VARSITY SCHEDULE
Dakota State hosted a junior varsity volleyball triangular on October 19th, with the Trojans earning two 2-0 sweeps over Riverland CC (Minn.) and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) junior varsity team.

Dakota State's junior varsity volleyball team has two road dates remaining on its schedule. The Trojans travel to Estherville, Iowa, Monday, Oct. 26, for a 6 p.m. match against Iowa Lakes Community College.

DSU closes its junior varsity schedule Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a 4 p.m. road match at Mayville State (N.D.).

K. VANROOYAN EARNS WEEKLY HONOR FROM FRONTIER CONFERENCE
Senior libero/defensive specialist Kate VanRooyan continued her climb through the Dakota State women's volleyball record book during the Trojans' three-match home stand.  She was named to Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Women's Volleyball Defender of the Week after going 3-0 record at DSU Fieldhouse last week.

VanRooyan entered the week with 2,054 career digs before recording 26 digs against No. 7 Bellevue (Neb.). She followed with 28 digs against Carroll, moving her career total to 2,108 and passing Sonja Kamrud's previous second-place mark of 2,086. VanRooyan then added 16 digs in the sweep of Rocky Mountain (Mont.).

VanRooyan now ranks second in Dakota State history with 2,124 career digs. She trails only Peyton Groft, who holds the school record with 2,394 career digs, leaving VanRooyan 270 digs shy of the program record.

Through Dakota State's first 22 matches this season, VanRooyan has recorded 370 digs, which is seventh most digs in the Frontier Conference.  

2026 DSU Trojan Women's Volleyball Team Leaders

• Kills/Kills Per Set:  Kaedyn Sapp - 207 kills / 2.80 kills per set
• Assists/Assists Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 460 set assists / 5.54 set assists per set
• Digs/Digs Per Set:  Kate VanRooyan - 370 digs / 4.63 digs per set
• Blocks/Blocks Per Set:  Lauryn Kloth - 75 blocks / 0.91 blocks per set
• Service Aces/Service Aces Per Set:  Emily Nelson - 20 service aces / 0.24 service aces per set
• Receptions:  Sydney Wathen - 403 receptions