HASTINGS, Neb. – The Carroll College Volleyball team made its way to the small, South-Central Nebraska town of  Hastings, Thursday for four games at the Five Point Banks Invitational hosted by Hastings College.
 
Carroll begins the tournament with a game against Midland University at 2 p.m. MST, the one team on the four-game slate that the Saints have played in head Coach Moe Boyle's 10 years at the helm. The Warriors are the No. 4 team in the latest NAIA coaches' poll and not the only ranked team that the Saints face on the day.
 
In the evening game, the Saints play the No. 20 Hastings Broncos on their home court at 6 p.m. MST. The Broncos are 7-3 on the season with their losses coming against No. 5 Rocky Mountain, No. 16 Southern Oregon and Concordia (Neb.)
 
Saturday, Carroll plays Concordia at 12 p.m. MST. Concordia received votes in the latest top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are 9-1 on the year with a 3-0 win over Hastings coming just this week.
 
The Saints close out the tournament with Peru State (Kan.) at 4 p.m. MST Saturday. The Bobcats are 9-1 on the year.
 
"This is a very quality tournament with some great teams," Boyle said. "Where we are at in the process it is going to be a challenge but right now we are focused on improving ourselves and getting ready for the conference season."
 
The Saints are looking to rebound from a 0-4 weekend at The Master's Labor Day Tournament.
 
"We had a very productive week of practice but I won't know the full measure of improvement until we get on the court," Boyle said. "This team has the ability to win a lot of games but we need to build on the god things we've done and have the confidence it takes to win tough matches."
 
Boyle believes that the Saints need the middle hitters to step up and be the foundation of the team.
 
"We need Crystal Schmidt and Paige Montgomery to step up and be leaders," Boyle said.  "Their play has been fine but we need them to have the confidence that the rest of the team can lean on. That is when we will start making strides as a team."
 
All games will have live video and stats via Hastings College Athletics.