HELENA, Mont. — The Carroll Volleyball team battled through countless momentum swings and an upstart Mayville State squad to earn a hard-fought five set victory on Wednesday inside the PE Center.
While it might not have been the easy win that the Fighting Saints (8-6, 3-3) were hoping for, a win is a win - and Wednesday's back-and-forth battle with the Comets (2-8, 0-6) ultimately finished with a desirable result.
Carroll stormed out of the gates in the opening set, using a fast start and balanced offense to take control early. The Saints hit .278 in the frame, led by multiple kills from Sidney Gulick (Kalispell, Mont. / SR) and McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / JR), cruising to a dominant 25–12 win.
From that point forward, nothing would come easy.
The second set flipped momentum as Mayville State steadied its attack. The Comets erased several Carroll runs and held off a late rally to even the match at 1–1 with a 25–23 decision.
Carroll responded in a tight third set that saw 12 ties and six lead changes. Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / JR) delivered timely kills, and a strong defensive presence from the Saints' block helped close out a 25–23 victory to regain a 2-1 lead.
Mayville refused to go away, again answering in the fourth set. A balanced Comet attack and late defensive stops proved the difference in another nail-biting 25–23 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
The finale, like the three prior frames, was as dramatic as they come. Carroll built an early edge, only to see Mayville rally back. Trailing 14-12 and down to their final point, the Saints leaned on their veterans. Lauren Heuiser pulled Carroll within one on a thundering kill before a Comet error evened the frame at 14-14. A kill from Balcom set up match point, setting the stage for Lauren Heuiser to seal the victory with her game-high 17th kill of the night. The comeback rally gave Carroll a 16-14 win to take the match 3-2.
The Saints finished with 67 kills on .194 hitting, paced by Heuiser's efficient .455 performance (17 kills, 4 blocks). Balcom added 15 kills, while Gulick chipped in 12.
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) led the team with 34 assists and added 19 digs, while freshman Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / FR) anchored the back row with a team and career-high 28 digs.
As a team, the Saints posted 13 total blocks, highlighted by Elizabeth Heuiser's (Helena, Mont. / R_SR) seven.
Carroll will return to the court in less than 24 hours, hosting Valley City State tomorrow night at 6 p.m. to wrap up their week.
Visit www.carrollathletics.com tomorrow evening for a full recap of the action, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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