Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
BILLINGS, Mont.- Rocky Volleyball kicked off their 2024 season with three-set sweeps over Doane and Bushnell at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte on Friday. 

How it Happened - Versus Doane

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Kaitlyn Wood's streak of three consecutive service aces led to a six-point run for the Battlin' Bears in the first set. A pair of kills from Makenna Bushman sealed a 25-17 first-set victory. 

Rocky continued their momentum into the second set, jumping to an early 5-1 lead. Doane would battle back to grab their first lead of the day thanks to a six-point run to grab a 13-10 lead, forcing a Battlin' Bear timeout. Rocky would regroup and storm back with a 7-1 run sparked by back-to-back kills from Kaitlyn Wood and capped off by a kill by freshman Taliah Triggs. Makenna Bushman would tally a kill to get the Battlin' Bears one point away, and a Tiger attack error secured a second-set win, 25-22. 

The third set was back and forth to begin until Doane separated to a 15-10 lead. This lead for the Tigers would disappear quickly after Rocky stormed back with a 7-1 run, capped off by a kill from Bella Bryan to grab an 18-16 lead. Both teams traded points until the end, but a kill from Makenna Bushman and a block from Bella Bryan and Taliah Triggs secured the final point to give Rocky a three-set sweep to open up the Big Sky Challenge. 

Brooke Ark led the way with 30 digs, Blythe Sealey tallied 35 assists, and Kaitlyn Wood totaled eight kills, seven digs, two blocks, and five service aces. Makenna Bushman and Liddia Fontaine each finished with a team-high nine kills. 

How it Happened - Versus Bushnell

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The Battlin' Bears leaned on their defense at the net in the first set, totaling four blocks and forcing eight attack errors by the Beacons. Taliah Triggs and Bella Bryan each tallied two blocks in the first set. Makenna Bushman capped a back-and-forth set with two late kills to give Rocky a close first-set win, 25-22. 

The Battlin' Bears were able to capitalize on Bushnell's mistakes in the second set, as a run of attack errors helped propel Rocky to a 17-11 lead. While it looked like Rocky would run away with the second set, Bushnell battled back to a 23-22 Rocky lead. A pair of attack errors helped secure a second-set victory for Rocky to close out the second set. 

Both teams traded runs throughout the third set, as a kill from Kaitlyn Wood tied the set at 20-20. The Battlin' Bears seized their opportunity to close the match out, as kills from Makenna Bushman and Bella Bryan helped secure Rocky's second victory of the day. 

Makenna Bushman finished the second match with nine kills, 11 digs, and two blocks, Brooke Ark totaled 31 digs and three service aces, and Blythe Sealey tallied 24 assists. Taliah Triggs totaled five blocks in the victory over Bushnell. 

Up Next

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The Battlin' Bears will look to cement their weekend statement in the Big Sky Challenge with a matchup against No. 2 ranked Northwestern College at 3:00 pm on Saturday.