The Official Site of the Fighting Saints

DILLON, Mont. - The Carroll College Volleyball team fell in four sets on Wednesday evening to Montana Western at the Straugh Gymnasium.

After starting the match strong, things unraveled for the FIghting Saints (16-10, 11-8) over the final three sets as the Bulldogs (13-13, 12-7) pulled away for the late-season victory.

All four sets saw one team hit .051 or worse, while the frame-winners hit at least .143 in each victory. For Carroll, they enjoyed a match-best .220 hitting percentage in the opening frame, a 25-20 win. Unfortunately for the Saints, they would flip to other end of the spectrum, with 25 total errors plaguing any sort of momentum, averaging just .030 over the final three sets.

After going down 14-15 in the first, the Saints strung together a 7-1 run fueled by multiple kills by Frontier-leader Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) to go up 21-16. Kills by Alli Devine (Wasilla, Alaska / R-FR), Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO), and Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO) would close out Carroll's lone win on the night.

The Saints had an early advantage in the second, but Western would go on a 9-0 run to seize control of the not only the set, but the match as well - winning each of the next three sets 25-19, 25-14, 25-21.

Lauren Heuiser led the Saints with 12 kills, while Birdie Heuiser and Kaylen Hay each added eight. The Heuiser sisters also posted matching blocks (3.0) to lead Carroll defensively at the net.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) led Carroll with 20 assists, while Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) kicked-in 17 as well. Fox finished with a double-double, adding 13 digs, while Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) led the team with 17 digs on the night.

The Saints, fighting solely for seeding in the upcoming Frontier Championship at this point, will look to erase the loss and turn their attention towards a road trip to Butte for a Saturday showdown with Montana Tech.