The Official Site of the Fighting Saints

BILLINGS, Mont. - The Carroll Volleyball team picked-up a bounce-back win on Tuesday evening, beating Rocky Mountain College in four sets at the Fortin Education Center.

It was a solid start to the second half of the Frontier Conference season for the Fighting Saints (13-6, 8-4), as they found a way to snap a three-game skid, topping the Battlin' Bears (3-13, 1-11) three sets to one.

The Saints opened up the evening with a 25-22 first set victory. Early kills by Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO) and Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) helped Carroll build a 14-9 advantage, but the Bears would battle back. Rocky eventually tied the opening frame up at 21-21, forcing Carroll to buckle down. A tandem of Laurens - Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) and Lauren Heuiser - would close out the win for the Saints. Three more kills from Heuiser plus an ace from Carroll's season aces leader Fox would put the Saints up 1-0.

Carroll would never trail in a second set victory. After opening the frame on a quick 6-1 run, the Saints would hold off the Bears for the entirety of the set - never letting Rocky get within three points as they rolled to a 25-19 win behind a match-best .263 attack.

The Saints would sputter in the third set. Rocky opened up the frame on a 15-6 run while the Carroll offense struggled to find its footing. The Saints hit just .035 in the frame, far and away their lowest percentage of the night, and never managed to pull within reach as the Bears closed out their lone set win, 25-20.

While the fourth frame would eventually fall in favor of the Saints, it wouldn't be without drama. The Saints and Bears exchanged the lead multiple times in a back-and-forth frame, before Carroll would eventually find themselves up 24-21 and serving set point. Rocky responded with four-straight points, surpassing the Saints for a set point serve of their own at 25-24. The teams continued to battle well into extra points, but eventually Carroll would win the fight. Lauren Heuiser and Alli Devine (Wasilla, Alaska / SO) combined for a block to give the Saints a 29-28 lead, then Heuiser would put an exclamation point on the win with a kill to close both the set and match.

Heuiser continued her strong play, leading all players with a match-high 16 kills while adding in four blocks. Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO) added 11 kills and a match-best six blocks.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) led Carroll with 28 assists, while Lauren Fox added 24. The Allen sisters, Norah and Malia (Great Falls, Mont.), combined for 42 digs in the win.

Carroll continues the road trip later this week, taking on MSU-Northern in Havre at 6 p.m. on Friday.