HELENA, Mont. – The 23rd-ranked Carroll College volleyball team hosts Evergreen State Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the PE Center before travel to Butte Friday and Saturday for four matches in two days at the Big Sky Challenge tournament at the Butte Civic Center.
In Butte, the Saints play Dickinson State, No. 25 College of Idaho, Northwest University and No. 20 Bellevue (Neb.).
Wednesday, the Saints play an improving Evergreen team. While Carroll is 2-2 already this season, the Geoducks have yet to play a match. Evergreen returns the bulk of a team that struggled last year but should show improvement under the tutelage of head coach Angela Spoja.
"They'll be a quality team, this will be their first match," Carroll head coach Moe Boyle said. "They ran a pretty solid offense and have a few quality hitters coming back. The defense should be a lot more consistent after a year of great coaching under coach Spoja."
The Saints are looking to improve after going 1-2 at the Viterbo Preseason tournament, topping No. 4 Midland before falling in five to No. 10 Grand View and losing to No. 6 and tournament host Viterbo.
"We have so much that we need to work on and last weekend was one step along the way," Boyle said. "We are trying to get to where we want to be by mid-November, and Wednesday is another opportunity to get better. You always want to protect your home court."
The Saints open the tournament with Dickinson Friday at 1 p.m. before playing the College of Idaho at 5 p.m. Saturday, the Saints play Northwest University at 11 a.m. and close the tournament with a match against Bellevue.
"We are excited to play more quality volleyball," Boyle said. "We have a lot of high-level competition, and we are expecting a lot from our opponents there. We need to keep our heads about us and try not to do too much. Everyone looks good on paper, but it is a matter of who puts it together on the court."
Live stats for Wednesday's match will be available via dakstats. Live video will be available online via the Carroll youtube channel.
