HELENA, Mont. – The Carroll College volleyball team begins play Tuesday when they play host to Walla Walla University at the PE Center at 7 p.m.

The Saints take the court for the first time without a trio of seniors that helped lead the Saints to back-to-back Frontier Conference titles. Third-team All-American Jonni Dorr, Frontier All-Conference player Paige Montgomery and second-team All-Conference honoree Natalie Kassa all graduated after last year's historic run.

"The last few years there has been a precedent set on what being a leader in this program means," head coach Moe Boyle said. "We've had a great run of quality leaders and captains on this team, and I hope that the leadership that from last year carries over into this year. Our girls have worked hard to get to where they are, and I think that leadership will continue."

The program has progressively improved over the last three seasons, and Boyle thinks that the trend can continue upward. 

"We talk about not just playing for yourselves for your team, but there has been a long line of great players that have come through Carroll," she said. "The bar has been raised, and it has been raised to a position that wouldn't have been possible a few years ago, but we are going to make a strong run for that bar again."

When Dorr, Frontier Player of the Year graduates and leaves the most important position on the court, setter, up for grabs, most coaches would lose a lot of sleep, but Boyle is confident in the abilities of Rayna Pilgeram. The junior was a member of the Frontier Conference All-Freshman team in 2015 when she racked up 395 assists in the Saints 6-2 offense. Carroll moved to a 5-1 in 2016, but Pilgeram still contributed key stats with 265 digs and 36 service aces. 

This season she will resume her setting duties and Boyle has confidence in her junior.

"I can't even tell you how excited I am about her possibilities," Boyle said. "The work that she has done and the time that he has put in, I know that she is going to reap the rewards."

Maybe the biggest question mark on the squad is who will take over at the outside hitter position for All-Conference honoree Montgomery. Sophomore Ayla Carpenter and Senior Casey McInerney played significant minutes in 2016, but senior Marija Nicksic nursed an injury last season, and incoming freshman Taelyr Krantz will vie for playing time right away.

"I have four players and two spots," Boyle said. "All of them will get plenty of playing time this season, but we need to find some consistency in our rotation. The exciting thing is that we have four capable players on the outside and we find out who will step up to the plate."

In the middle, two veteran players in junior Brielle Bumgarner and Mallory Arbizzani provide the Saints with much-needed experience. 
The duo combined for 469 kills in 2015 with an attack percentage over .280.

"We are going to depend a lot on our middle hitters this season," Boyle said. "The two starters are full of energy and excitement, and that can pay big dividends for the rest of the team."

Jenna Starke and Morgan Christy will also contribute in the middle after strong improvements in the summer.

The most experienced returner on the team is senior right-side hitter Holly Morehouse who earned Frontier All-Conference honors a season ago. She was second on the team with 378 kills and had a .286 hitting percentage. 

"Holly is going to be a stud this year," Boyle said. "She showed that she can be a dominant player last year and we fully expect her to build on that this year. She will need to be one of our leaders on and off of the court."

On the back line, Casey Berry will step into the starting libero role while Catherine Sloan will continue to play a big role in the defense. Redshirt freshman Madi Quick will also see time in the rotation, and incoming freshman Laurel Kassa will try to fill her sister's shoes as a contributor right away for the Saints.

"Catherine Sloan is pretty steady, and she grew into the confidence last year," Boyle said. "She gets the job done and gives us a quality serving rotation. Casey worked very hard this spring and summer, and Madi Quick has shown a lot of improvement."

The Saints begin the season Tuesday with a home match against Walla Walla University. The Wolves bring a squad with just one senior and a new head coach to the PE Center. Carroll then continues the slate with three matches this weekend at the Viterbo tournament against three teams that advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.

"We have three tough tournaments on the schedule, but we are excited for the challenge," Boyle said. "Our non-conference tournaments propelled us into a great start to conference play last year, and we hope to see that happen again."

The Saints take the court against the Wolves at 7 p.m. at the PE Center. Live stats will be available via Dakstats and live video will be available via the Carroll Athletics Youtube page.