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HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College Volleyball team dropped a Homecoming matchup with Montana Western on Friday night, falling in four sets in front of a large crowd at the CC PE Center.

Outside of an explosive third frame, little went right for the Fighting Saints (12-6, 7-4) in a frustrating four-set loss to the Bulldogs (7-11, 6-5). While they led the match in both total blocks (12) and aces (seven), Carroll's normally potent attack was uncharacteristically sub-par, hitting just .120 as a team.

The Saints opened the night on a quick 5-2 run, later extending their lead to 12-6 in the first set. The Bulldogs responded with a 5-0 run, followed by a 4-0 later in the frame to vault into the lead at 17-15. Yet another 4-0 run from Western near the end of the frame would close the door, as the Bulldogs rallied for a 25-22 win.

The second set saw both sides string together lengthy runs. Carroll again opened the frame with a 5-2 run, but a 7-0 response from Western would flip the momentum completely. The Saints put together a 7-1 run near the middle of the set to regain the lead before eventually serving up 23-22. Unfortunately for the Saints, they couldn't seal the deal, as Western scored the final three points to steal set two, 25-23.

Down to their last chance, Carroll finally found their footing in the third. The Saints were scorching early, racing out to a 12-3 lead in a hurry. The lead would prove plenty, as they cruised to a 25-15 set win with the Bulldogs hitting -.077 in the frame.

Following a competitive start to the fourth, the Bulldogs held a 12-11 advantage. The Bulldogs put together one final extended run on the evening, rattling-off eight straight points to blow the frame wide open en route to a 25-18 match-clincher.

Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) led the Saints with 11 kills and four blocks, while Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO) added eight kills and a match-high six blocks.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) finished with a team-high 20 assists, adding in 15 digs - one off Sofia Kimmel's (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) team-best 16.

The Saints will hit the road next week, taking on Rocky in Billings on Tuesday, then MSU-Northern and Providence on Friday and Saturday.