Volleyball falls to the Nevada Wolf Pack

The MSU women’s volleyball team returned to Shroyer Gym for the second time this season in hopes of snapping its three-game losing streak. Fans packed the stands Thursday night, building energy for the team into the weekend. 

After a tough three-set sweep at the hands of the University of Nevada (UNR) Wolf Pack on Sept. 18, the Bobcats bounced back on Saturday, Sept. 20 defeating the Santa Clara University (SCU) 4-1 in the 2025 EVEN Hotel Bobcat Classic. The fourth and final tournament of the regular season brought the Bobcats’ record to 5-6 overall.  

During Thursday’s match, scores were close in the first half of the opening set, but Nevada tore away in the second, winning 25-18 to gain an early lead. The ‘Cats fared better in the second set, with both teams trading kills until the Wolf Pack stole the lead to finish the set 25-20. The third and final set went much like the first, UNR winning 25-19 to seal the match.

In a post-game interview Thursday night, Head Coach Matt Houk attributed the loss to the team’s overall attitude. “We need to be a team that plays harder with more toughness and absolutely more energy and enthusiasm,” he said. 

Houk also mentioned that the team is facing multiple injuries this season with two starters and a backup out. Despite these complications, Houk does not want the team to use injuries as an excuse. “We will get the ship righted,” he said. 

Additionally, Houk said the work the team puts into practices is not being carried over into matches. “We have to learn how to transfer the things we do when we’re training into match situations, even when we’re not at full strength as a team,” he said.

“I hope it lingers tonight. I hope it hurts. I hope it stings. I hope it stings enough that they want to do something differently about it,” he said. “By the time we step on the court against [SCU], this match better be in the rear view mirror.”

Houk added that the team would need to improve its blocking to win Saturday’s match. “We are quite physical at the net, and yet we don’t perform that skill at a level that is conducive to what our athleticism and size is,” he said.

The Bobcats had six blocks against UNR on Thursday night and almost doubled this number in Saturday night’s 3-1 win over the Broncos. Freshman Lauren Schloe, junior Joelie Spelts and senior Camryn Greenwald ledthe ‘Cats in blocks with a combined 11 to SCU’s six in the match.

With freshman setter Teagan Jaynes back at the net — after missing the last few matches to a leg injury — and freshman Elli Tufto back on rotation, the Bobcats looked like a different team, according to Houk. 

Sophomore Karli Heidemann and Tufto recorded the most points of the night with 17 and 16 kills respectively across four sets. The Bobcats took the first and second sets to gain an early lead over the Broncos. A close third set ended 23-25 Broncos and took the match into set four, where the Bobcats closed out the tournament with a 26-24 win. 

With 16 games still left in the season, Houk believes the team can make a change to get where it needs to be. “We’re gonna work our tails off to try to figure out how to best help our athletes in a timely fashion, and figure out the things they need to figure out,” he said.

To learn more about Bobcat volleyball, visit https://msubobcats.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule.