HELENA, Mont. - Following a relatively tame afternoon of quarterfinal contests in the 2025 Frontier Conference Volleyball Championship, sixth-seeded Carroll and third-seed MSU-Northern battled for five sets, with multiple frames going into extras in a thrilling nightcap at the Carroll College PE Center.

'Five Set Thriller' doesn't do Thursday night's match justice, as the Fighitng Saints (17-14) fell in hreatbreaking fashion after a marathon quarterfinal (18-25, 27-25, 22-25, 25-19, 16-18) with the Skylights (18-11).

The noise inside the PE Center reached a crescendo as the Saints rallied in the fourth set, posting a match-high 14 kills to force a deciding fifth set  - then somehow grew louder and louder as the match rolled on.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) made five big-time serves down the stretch in the fourth set, while thundering kills and a pair of blocks by Elizabeth Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / R-SR) and McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / JR) brought the Carroll crowd to life, and extended the Saints' season - if only for one more frame.

The Saints carried that momentum into the fifth frame, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, again with Carrizales serving. The Skylights responded, however, as both teams saw multiple runs of three or more points in the early stages of the condensed final frame. Four times, the Skylights would serve set point, but Balcom and Sidney Gulick (Kalispell, Mont. / SR) found thundering response kills to keep the match alive. The comeback push came up short for the Saints in the end, Northern's Lexa Stock finished out the five-set win for the Skylights with a pair of kills, 18-16.

One large factor in the final outcome was the career night for Northern's Macee Selman. The senior posted a triple-double, finishing with match-highs in both kills (24) and assists (31), while also adding 22 digs.

The Saints also saw several standout performances, as McKaila Balcom led the team with 15 kills, followed by both Gulick and Elizabeth Heuiser's 10. Molly O'Connor (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) led all players with 43 digs on the night, while Carrizales posted a team-high 27 assists.

The elder Heuisers, Elizabeth and Lauren (Helena, Mont. / JR), combined for 12.0 blocks on the night (Elizabeth 7, Lauren 5).

Carroll finished the regular season and Frontier Conference Championship with a winning record for the first time since 2022 (14-13), and will now have to hope to receive an at-large bid to the upcoming NAIA Volleyball Championship later this month.