The Frontier Conference volleyball tournament starts tonight at the Montana Tech HPER Complex.

Play kicks off with a 5 p.m. play-in match between the bottom two teams in the conference standings — Montana Western and Dickinson State. The winner of that match takes on No. 1-seeded Lewis-Clark State at noon Friday.

Montana Tech opens the tournament at 2 p.m. Friday against MSU-Northern. Other Friday matches will see Carroll College play Westminster College at 5 p.m. and the University of Great Falls battle Rocky Mountain College at 7:30 p.m.

The winner of the single-elimination tournament advances to the NAIA national tournament. Three teams from the Frontier moved on to nationals last season. That is unlikely this year, with only L-C State and Carroll receiving votes in the NAIA national poll.

The Orediggers enter the tournament a hot team. Tech won seven of its last  nine matches to finish the season at 18-10 overall and 8-8 in league play.

One of Tech’s losses in that stretch was a heartbreaking 33-35, 25-15, 20-25, 25-21, 15-13 home loss to Northern.

Sophomore Korey Krumm has been on fire for the Orediggers in the second half of the season. The Anaconda product posted double digits in kill in the last eight matches.

The Orediggers have also been getting big-time play from freshmen starters Kimmy Kavran, Alison Lunde, and Sydney Norris.

Kavran set the team record for digs in a season. She leads the nation in that category.

Lunde, the setter, is ranked No. 2 in the conference in total assists, while Norris tallied 321 kills on the season.

All-Frontier Conference honors are expected out by tonight.

Click here for the Frontier Conference tournament bracket.