HELENA, Mont. - A sluggish start to Friday night's marquee matchup in the Frontier Conference spelled trouble for (RV) Carroll, as they fell in straight sets to No. 5 Providence in front of a healthy crowd at the Carroll College PE Center.

The Fighting Saints (6-4, 1-1) dug themselves a hole too big to climb out of on Friday, dropping their first conference match of the season against the No. 5-ranked Argos (8-1, 1-1).

After jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead, Carroll found themselves upside down in a hurry in set one. Providence went on a 10-0 run in the middle stages of the frame to take a commanding 21-9 lead. The Saints fought back, however, overcoming a .089 hitting performance and clawing their way back within four at 24-20. Their 5-0 run on set point would eventually come to a close on a Sadie Giles kill, as the Argos took the frame.

Little went right for the Saints in a forgettable second set. Carroll registered just five total kills in the frame, hitting -.058 with eight errors. Providence's Ryann Eddins matched Carroll's five set two kills, and the Argos rolled to a 25-15 win.

Things changed in the third set of the night, as the Carroll attack came to life in a closely contested back-and-forth battle. The Saints held the largest lead of the frame at 16-13, with neither side able to find much wiggle room. It was evident throughout the later stages of the match that 25 points would not be enough to get the win, as the set went into extra points. The neck-and-neck race to the finish was not without controversy, as multiple challenges were requested by both coaches down the stretch. A Carroll challenge with the teams tied at 25 went Providence's direction, and the Argos would escape with a 27-25 win to close out the match.

McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / JR) led Carroll with 11 kills on the night, with Lauren Hueiser (Helena, Mont. / JR) behind her with eight kills of her own.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / JR) had a team-high 17 assists, and Molly O'Connor (Bozeman, Mont. / SR) tallied 12 digs.

The Saints have no time to dwell on the loss, as they're right back to action in less than 24 hours, hosting MSU-Northern at 1 p.m. to cap a busy first week of the Frontier season.