BUTTE, Mont. – A determined Carroll Volleyball team put on a show this weekend, topping (RV) Ottawa (Ariz.) in four sets before making quick work of Evergreen State to complete a perfect 4-0 start at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte.
 
The (RV) Fighting Saints saw their streak of unbeaten sets come to a close on Saturday morning but stayed the course in another pair of impressive wins to start their 2025 campaign.
 
"We had some serious contributions all weekend from our veteran players and newcomers alike." said Head Coach Moe Boyle "We've definitely had a great start, our defense has been stellar all weekend, and have a lot of potential with this unit, but there's still a long way to go."
 
GAME ONE – (RV) Carroll – 3, (RV) OUAZ– 1 (28-26, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17)

---

For the second-straight day, the Saints got the job done in an early morning match.
 
After a pair of three-set sweeps on Friday, Saturday morning's tilt between teams both appearing in the receiving votes portion of the NAIA Poll required a little more effort.
 
The opening set of the day went into extra points, with both teams having multiple match-point opportunities. The frame would ultimately fall in favor of the Saints, as Elizabeth Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) provided a pair of kills to end the exciting 28-26 set.
 
Carroll controlled the middle of the second set, going on a 7-1 run to provide cushion in a 25-14 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
After eight consecutive set victories to start the season, Carroll finally dropped a back-and-forth third frame of the match.
 
The Spirit raced out to a 15-6 lead early in the set, but a resilient Carroll attack clawed their way back into the mix. OUAZ had a 24-18 match-point advantage prior to the Saints rattling-off five straight points to make things interesting. The Spirit finally closed the door on the comeback attempt, however, winning the frame 25-23.
 
Carroll was aided in a deciding fourth set victory by a Spirit hitting percentage of .000, as 11 errors negated any positive momentum for OUAZ. A complete Carroll effort in the frame saw the Saints score on kills, aces, and blocks to close out the match with a 25-17 win.
 
Elizabeth Heuiser led the Saints in both kills (14) and blocks (6.0), but she wasn't the only Hueiser to play well at the net. Both Lauren (Helena, Mont. / JR) and Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / FR) recorded five blocks as well.
 
"Liz and McKaila (Balcom) put the ball on the floor this morning, and I'm really proud of our setters doing a good job of finding them." said Boyle
 
Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) led the team in assists for the first time in her young career, finishing the match with 21, while tying fellow Hawks Molly O'Connor (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) and Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) for the team lead in digs with 11.
 
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) tallied 17 assists behind Fox, and led the Saints with 3 service aces in the win.
 
 
GAME TWO – (RV) Carroll 3, Evergreen State 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-9)

---

Finishing the weekend strong was a primary goal for the Saints, and Saturday afternoon's drubbing of the Geoducks put an exclamation point on the excellent start.
 
Carroll was dominant in the fourth match of the weekend, out-hitting the Geoducks .293 to .025 in the win with a 41-17 advantage in kills, and 10 aces to Evergreen State's zero in the sweep.
 
"This afternoon saw everybody get some playing time, and there were too many contributions throughout the lineup to pinpoint just one." said Boyle
 
For the second time this season, Lauren Heuiser recorded 15-plus kills in the lopsided affair. Both McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / JR) and Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-FR) recorded six kills each to round out the Carroll attack.
 
The middle Heuiser sister was arguably the MVP of the weekend for Carroll, as the junior stuffed the stat sheet with team leads in aces (3) and blocks (2) in the victory.
 
The Saints will now shift their focus towards a trip to Salem, Ore. next weekend, as they will compete in the Hampton Inn Classic, hosted by No. 3 Corban.