Rocky volleyball battles in four-set loss at Dillon

DILLON, Mont. - Rocky volleyball was edged out in a four-set decision against Montana Western on Saturday afternoon.

How it happened

While Montana Western jumped out to a strong start, the Battlin' Bears rallied for four straight points to cut the deficit to 11-10 early in the first set. Following a back-and-forth exchange, Kaitlyn Wood hammered a late kill to give Rocky a 23-22 advantage. However, the Bulldogs responded out of a timeout, rattling off three straight points to steal the first frame, 25-23.

After Montana Western snagged a 14-11 lead in the second set, the Battlin' Bears caught fire, surging for seven unanswered points to swing the momentum in Rocky's favor. A combined block from Wood and Olivia Fauth pushed the Bears to set point. Though the Bulldogs attempted a late comeback, Amelia Kisiel sealed the set victory with a clutch kill, evening the match at 1-1.

Rocky's attack faltered in the third frame, managing just eight kills alongside ten attacking errors. This offensive stumble allowed the Bulldogs to capitalize and cruise to a 25-20 win.

Despite finding success from the service line with four aces in the fourth set, the Battlin' Bears could not contain Montana Western's highly efficient offense. The Bulldogs hit nearly .300 with just a single error in the final frame, clinching the match and handing Rocky the four-set defeat.

Notable statistics

Kaitlyn Wood delivered a standout performance, tallying a season-high 12 kills on a .360 hitting percentage to go along with four blocks. Sadie Meier contributed a strong two-way effort with 11 kills and 15 digs, while Rylee McMillan orchestrated the offense with 24 assists. Defensively, Zoey Albert anchored the back row with a team-high 29 digs.

Overall, Rocky was outhit by Montana Western .191 to .111, with the Battlin' Bears hindered by 29 total attack errors.

For the Bulldogs, Jaden Perez paced the floor with a match-high 13 kills and ten blocks to secure the victory.

The Battlin' Bears (6-20, 4-16 Frontier) return home to conclude the regular season, hosting Bismarck State and Dickinson State.