HELENA, Mont. - The (RV) Carroll College Volleyball team will officially kick-off their 2025 season on Friday morning in Butte, as they compete in the annual Big Sky classic against four teams from a variety of conferences this weekend.

The 2025 season is upon us, and with it comes plenty of new.

New faces, new teams, new format, even new replay procedures. Yet, one thing remains the same for the Fighting Saints.

Head Coach Moe Boyle returns for the start of her third decade at the helm, and the longest-tenured Frontier Head Coach has plenty of reason to feel excited about the '25 campaign.

NEW FACES
Some of the Big Sky's best from the prep ranks have made the transition to the collegiate ranks, and several of the top players in the state will don the Purple & Gold this Fall.

The most recognizable name for Saints fans is Helena High product Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / FR), a signing that surprised absolutely no one in Montana. The 2024 Montana AA First Team All-State selection is the latest in a long-line of Heuiser's to make their contributions to the Carroll Volleyball program (More to come on the Heuisers, stay tuned to www.carrollatheltics.com in the coming weeks for a feature story).

A pair of All-State players fresh off competing for a Montana AA State Championship will make their debut for the Fighting Saints this weekend. Former Hawks Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) and Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) enter the program with high expectations, and both will challenge for their share of court time immediately. Fox will split time with Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) at the setter position, while Kimmel will step into a significant defensive role nearly right away.

Continuing the trend of family ties, Kendall Denny (Fairfield, Wash. / FR) and Alli Devine (Wasilla, Alaska / FR) will enter their freshmen seasons with sibling support already on campus. 

Several Denny's have rolled through Carroll in recent years, as Kendall will join her sister Ellie, a third-year player on the Women's Basketball team, on the Hilltop this season. Their older sister, Christine, is one of the most prolific scorers in Carroll WBB history, while their cousin Kylie (Kackman) Hansen was a four year standout for Boyle from 2019-23.

Wasilla, Alaska has become a small pipeline for talent for the Saints in recent years, as Alli Devine now joins her brother Andrew, a captain left tackle for the Football team.

NEW TEAMS
The Frontier Conference saw its first significant change in decades this offseason, as the league welcomed several former North Star members as full time members. One of the best Volleyball conferences in the nation got even better, adding national contenders into an already competitive league.

Newcomers include Mayville State, Dickinson State, Bismarck State, Valley City State, Dakota State, and Bellevue.

The Frontier boasts four teams ranked inside the NAIA Preseason Top-25 (No. 2 Bellevue, No. 10 Providence, No. 11 Montana Western, No. 17 Montana Tech), with three others in the receiving votes portion of the poll, knocking on the door (Carroll, Dakota State, Valley City State).

The new-look Frontier Schedule will see each team play 22 conference matches, 11 home, and 11 on the road. The change is very much welcomed for the Saints, who had only eight home contests last season.

NEW FORMAT
One of the biggest benefits for the expanded Frontier Conference members is the fact that teams are no longer forced to play three matches against conference opponents throughout the season. The influx of new teams offers fresh competition, and the competition among teams who aren't SO familiar with their opponents could very well prove highly beneficial for all teams come the postseason. 

The Frontier Conference tournament, now featuring more teams to match the league's expansion, will be a one site format, but is no longer on a rotating schedule.

The Conference awarded Carroll as the host site for the postseason championship, with the PE Center playing host to eight qualifying teams in a single-elimination tournament in November. 

Not that the Saints need any additional motivation, but having the opportunity to play postseason games on home court is certainly a driving force for this year's team. First things first, the Saints know that they need to take care of business throughout the 22-game Frontier slate.

WHAT RETURNS

---

While 2025 will feature plenty of new, the Saints have a strong group of returners ready to push for a Frontier title.

The Saints return all of their top-six kills leaders from a season ago. Spearheaded by a trio that tallied more than 200 kills each last season (Elizabeth Heuiser - 316, Lauren Heuiser - 295, Rachael Stacey - 213), the Carroll Attack aims to be the strength of the team in 2025.

Jansyn Carrizales saw plenty of reps at setter as a true freshman two years ago, experience that should pay dividends this season after the graduation of Hannah Schweikert last spring.

Molly O'Connor (Bozeman, Mont. / SR), one of five seniors on the '25 team, will play a primary role defensively for the Saints this season, looking to continue the success Carroll's seen at the position in recent years. Julia Carr, the 2024 NAIA leader in digs and digs per set, has graduated. Replacing the '24 Frontier Defensive Player of the Year will be no easy task, but O'Connor is more than capable on the back line.

Sidney Gulick (Kalispell, Mont. / SR), Taysa Conger (Merino, Colo. / SR), and McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / JR) all put up 100+ kills last season at their outside positions, and will be a big part of any Saints success in 2025.

RECEIVING VOTES

---

The NAIA released its Preseason Coaches' Top-25 poll last week, and the Saints will begin the year in the receiving votes portion of the poll.

Carroll is no stranger to early season polling, having appeared in the receiving votes category numerous times in the last four years. Finding a way to crack into the Top-25 and sustain success, however, will be a primary goal for the 2025 squad in a new-look Frontier Conference loaded with some of the NAIA's top-ranked teams.

The Saints last appeared inside the Top-25 on August 31 of 2022, and are eyeing a return to the ranks this Fall. The last time that Carroll appeared in the Top-25 in the Preseason Poll was the 2017 season in which they began at No. 23.

Carroll is one of seven teams from the Frontier Conference that are either ranked, or in the receiving votes portion of the Preseason NAIA Coaches' Poll. (Bellevue, Providence, Montana Western, Montana Tech, Dakota State, Valley City State).

BIG SKY CHALLENGE

---

Carroll will once again begin the season at the annual Big Sky Challenge, squaring off with some very good teams right out of the gate.

Friday at 9 a.m., the season will officially get underway with a tilt against Campbellsville (Ky.).

In the afternoon, the Saints will see their first ranked opponent of the young season when they take on No. 21 Nelson (Texas) at 4 p.m.

Things don't get any easier on Saturday, as the Saints have another 9 a.m. game against Ottawa (Ariz.), who are also receiving votes in the poll.

Carroll will wrap up play at the season-opening event on Saturday at 1 p.m., playing CCC member Evergreen State.

Live stats for those games can be found at the following links:
CAMPBELLSVILLE | NELSON | OUAZ | EVERGREEN STATE

All four games will be available to stream through Montana Tech's pay per view service HERE. Access to the full tournament is $30.

---