Frontier moves volleyball to spring; in-state football schedule remains this fall

WHITEFISH – The Frontier Conference announced Friday that while it plans to continue with a round-robin football season for Montana schools, volleyball is moving to the fall.

“The move from the fall was done to accommodate all schools in the Frontier Conference and to further align with the NAIA championships to be held in the spring,” Commissioner Kent Paulson said in a statement. “The Frontier Conference will plan to participate in the post-season whenever the NAIA championship dates are set for next spring.”

Football will go ahead with an eight-game schedule in which the five in-state institutions – Carroll College, UM-Western, Montana Tech, Rocky Mountain College and MSU-Northern – play each other twice.

Football practice at these institutions can begin Aug. 15, with the first contests delayed to the week of Sept. 19.

“This delay was recommended to give returning students more time to adjust to new health protocols that have been instituted on every campus,” Paulson said.

The Frontier intends to participate in the NAIA football championship playoffs that, like volleyball, have been moved to the spring.