HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College volleyball team snapped a three-match losing streak on Friday night, topping Valley City State in four sets at the CC PE Center.
Coming into the weekend the Fighting Saints (15-9, 10-7) needed just two wins to secure their spot in the upcoming Frontier Conference Championships, hosted right at home in Helena. On Friday, they moved one step closer, beating the Vikings (8-16, 6-11) for the second time this season.
The Saints started the opening set off hot, jumping out to a 4-1 lead, but the Vikings had a quick response. Soon, the Saints found themselves trailing 11-7 following a string of attack errors. A Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO) kill would kick-start the frame's longest scoring streak, as the Saints rattled off eight straight points to regain the lead at 15-11. Serving set point at 24-20, Carroll squandered an opportunity to put away the frame. VCSU came on strong, scoring four straight to knot things up at 24-24, before eventually taking a late lead at 26-25. Carroll eventually found a way to close out the win in extra points, as Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) provided the final kill of the frame.
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Valley City State held another early advantage in the second set, but once again a lengthy Carroll run in the middle of the frame would help the Saints seize control. A 12-3 run, spurred by multiple Viking errors, would springboard Carroll into the lead at 19-13. VCSU battled back with a run of their own, taking a 22-20 lead in the late stages of the set, but a trio of big kills down the stretch by Hay, McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / SR), and Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) would help the Saints snag set two, 25-23.
Thanks to a match-best .220 hitting percentage in the frame, Valley City State avoided the sweep with a 25-21 third-set victory.
Looking to close out their 10th Frontier win of the season, the Fighting Saints responded in the fourth. Carroll led wire-to-wire in the frame, but like the rest of the evening the fourth-set victory would not come easy. While the Saints led throughout, the Vikings stayed within striking distance before eventually tying the frame up at 22-22. A VCSU service error opened the door, and Hay and Balcom took advantage with a pair of kills to seal the four-set win.
Lauren and Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont.), who entered the night at No. 1 and No. 3 in the Frontier in total kills, respectively, were outstanding once again. The sisters tied for the match high in kills, each posting 14, while Hay kicked in 11.
Lauren Heuiser was solid defensively as well, finishing with a season-high 9.0 blocks on the night.
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) led all players with 27 assists, while Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) led the match with 22 digs.
The Saints will look to punch their ticket to the postseason tomorrow, hosting Mayville State at 2 p.m. to wrap up the weekend.
