Women's Volleyball | 08/18/23 | 6:40 AM

HELENA, Mont. - The 2023 edition of the Carroll College Volleyball team is ready to make their season debut, as they play host to the 2023 Big Sky Challenge at the Carroll College PE Center on Friday and Saturday.

The Fighting Saints finished the 2022 season at No. 3 in the final Frontier Conference standings (6-4), after an up-and-down season that saw them finish with an overall record of 14-13. The 2022 team found themselves ranked as high as No. 20 in the NAIA National poll early in the season, but struggled to maintain the high level of play throughout the year.

The 2023 squad will look for more consistency throughout the year, and aim to improve on the third place finish in the conference from a year ago.

The Saints were picked to finish fifth in the preseason Frontier Conference Coaches' Poll, providing some bulletin board material heading into the first event of the season. The team will have to deal with the departure of several key contributors from last season, such as Katherine McEuen, a 2022 First Team All-Frontier and AVCA All-Region selection, but feel they still have the pieces to compete at the highest level with everyone in the conference.

Carroll retains several players in key spots, now with multiple years of collegiate action under their belts, that they will turn towards as the season progresses. 

Leading the way is Elizabeth Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / JR), who had a stellar Sophomore campaign, garnering First Team All-Frontier, AVCA All-Region and Honorable Mention NAIA All-American honors last year. 

Anchoring the back row is Julia Carr (Portland, Ore. / SR), another First Team All-Frontier defensive specialist from 2022 who accrued 641 digs over the course of last season, and setter Hannah Schweikert (Columbia Falls, Mont. / JR), who tallied 1,015 assists and two Frontier Conference Setter of the Week awards last season.

Some new faces look to see substantial court time this season as well.

Payton Treadwell (Meridian, Idaho / JR), a transfer from Ottawa (Ariz.) will provide some immediate veteran experience as an outside hitter. She racked up 173 kills for OUAZ last year, and aims to grow that number in 2023.

Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / FR) continues to keep the family ties at Carroll strong. She will join her sister on the court again this year after an impressive prep career at Helena High School. The pair, both listed at six-foot, will likely provide some headaches for opposing teams.

McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / FR) had a stellar high school career in her home state of Washington, three-times being named an all-conference performer. 

The Saints are hosting the Big Sky Challenge, a six team event featuring two schools from three premier NAIA conferences (Frontier, Cascade Collegiate Conference, Crossroads League). Joining Carroll from the Frontier is Rocky Mountain College, while Bushnell and Warner Pacific represent the CCC, and Spring Arbor and Mount Vernon Nazarene from the Crossroads League round out the field.

The teams will play a round-robin style event, featuring 12 total games over the next two days, providing each team with valuable early-season exposure against non-traditional competition.

Day passes for the event are available at the PE Center (Adult - $14, Student/Senior - $10).

Click HERE for the tournament landing page, featuring links to each participant, game schedules, live stat links, live stream links and more.

Carroll's home-court season opener, a rarity in today's landscape, will be at 11 a.m. against Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio). They will provide a night cap for day one tonight at 6 p.m. when they take on Warner Pacific.

On day two, Carroll will play Bushnell at 1 p.m., followed by the final match of the event, a 6 p.m. showdown with Spring Arbor.

Visit www.carrollathletics.com this evening for a full recap of day one action from the Big Sky Challenge.