HELENA, Mont. – The bare minimum six sets were all Carroll College needed on Friday to pick up their first two wins of the young season, as they knocked-off Campbellsville (Ky.) and No. 21 Nelson (Tx) in straight sets at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte.
 
Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / JR) set the tone for the year on Friday, leading the (RV) Fighting Saints (2-0) in kills in a pair of season-opening sweeps. The six-foot one-inch middle hitter (and middle sister) chalked up 23 kills in the highly efficient Carroll day.
 
"What a great start." said Head Coach Moe Boyle "Lauren came to PLAY, and our setters did an outstanding job to find her hot hand."
 
Kills came early and often for the junior, who notched her seventh career match with 15 or more kills in the morning victory over the Tigers.
 
 GAME ONE – Carroll 3, Campbellsville 0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-22)

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A 9 a.m. start time had no negative impact on the Saints in their first game of the 2025 season. The early risers got to work early, hitting .464 in the opening frame to get things moving in the right direction.
 
Trailing 12-11 in the first set, Carroll would take advantage of some Campbellsville mistakes and timely kills from a large portion of the rotation to build a six-point lead in a matter of minutes. Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / FR) put the finishing touches on the frame with a kill to give the Saints a 1-0 advantage.
 
Carroll would play from behind for the majority of the second set and found themselves down by two late in the frame. The Saints proceeded to score the final five points of the set, however, stealing a 25-23 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
Lauren Heuiser and Taysa Conger (Merino, Colo. / SR) were the driving force behind the third, as the pair combined for 11 kills in the 25-22 win to take the set and the match.
 
"I thought our defense was the catalyst for our offense this morning." said Boyle "They produced passes that set up the offense for success."
 
Offense wasn't the only part of Lauren Heuiser's big morning, as the junior also led the team with 5.0 blocks.
 
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) led the team with 18 assists, while newcomer Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) tallied 16 assists in her first collegiate match.
 
 
GAME TWO – (RV) Carroll 3, No. 21 Taylor 0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-19)

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Facing their first ranked opponent of the 2025 season in the afternoon contest, Carroll was able to carry the momentum from the morning win into their second-straight sweep of the day.
 
The Saints raced out to a sizable advantage in the first set and didn't look back as the first seven points of the match all belonged to Carroll.
 
Lauren and Elizabeth Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) combined for eight kills to help close out the 25-14 set win.
 
A six-point rally in the back half of the second set would give Carroll all the separation they would need, as they rolled to a 25-19 set win after trailing17-16.
 
The third and final set of the match was an impressive one for the Carroll attack, as the Saints posted their best hitting percentage of the young season. As a team, they hit .720 in the frame, with 18 kills and no errors to close out the ranked win, 25-14.
 
"That second match we saw a truly balanced offense, with all players contributing in positive ways." said Boyle "I thought our serving was very effective, and our block definitely stood out.'
 
The Saints dominated the net, with 16 more kills than Nelson, and a 9-2 advantage in team blocks. The trio of Heuiser sisters led the team in kills in the win (Elizabeth – 9, Lauren – 8, Birdie – 7).
 
Carrizales and Fox combined for 36 assists, while Molly O'Connor (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) led the team with 13 digs.
 
It's a quick turnaround for the Saints, who made the quick trip back to Helena for the night. They'll return to action against (RV) Ottawa (Ariz.) at 9 a.m. before closing out the weekend event against Evergreen State at 1 p.m.