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BUTTE, Mont. – While they didn't walk away with two wins, the Carroll Volleyball team will consider day one of the Big Sky Challenge a success after taking No. 23 Lewis-Clark State to five and sweeping Williams Baptist (Ark.) at the Butte Civic Center.
 
It was an eventful Friday for the Fighting Saints (3-2) in the Mining City, as they battled back from an early deficit against the No. 23-ranked Warriors before ultimately falling in five sets, then turned around and left no doubt in a three-set sweep of the Eagles in their nightcap.
 
GAME ONE: No. 23 LC State 3, Carroll 2

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 The Heuiser sisters put on a show in Carroll's first match of the 2026 Big Sky Challenge, stuffing the stat sheet to lead a come-from-behind effort that fell just short of an upset over former Frontier foe LC State.
 
It was a career game for '25 Honorable Mention All-Frontier middle hitter Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) against the Warriors. Heuiser's 19 kills were the most in her four-years on the Hilltop, and the most by any Saint since her older sister Elizabeth in 2024 (20 kills). Oddly enough, both performances came in matches against LC State.
 
The youngest of the sisters, Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO), posted a terrific line as well. The sophomore finished with 14 kills while leading the team with 4.0 blocks.
 
Carroll needed every bit of the siblings' effort, as they quickly found themselves down two sets to none after a slow start to the tournament.
 
On the brink of being swept, the Saints finally dug-in and stood their ground in a marathon third frame. Early runs of four-straight points by both teams would eventually land on a 12-12 tie at the midpoint of the set. From there, neither side would lead by more than two-points for the rest of the frame.
 
Finally, as the score reached the 30-point mark, Carroll found their breakthrough. Back-to-Back kills by Lauren Heuiser and McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / SR) would lift the Saints to a thrilling 31-29 win to stay alive.
 
Feeding off the momentum of the lengthy third frame, the Saints took care of business in the fourth to extend the match with a 25-17 win. Carroll was impressive in the set, hitting a match-best .371 as a team with 15 kills and just two errors.
 
In the deciding fifth frame, the Carroll attack struggled to find openings early on. LC State jumped out to an 11-3 lead thanks in large part to four early blocks by Karissa Lindner and Hadyn Smith.
 
Following a timeout, the Saints would go on a 6-1 run to make things interesting. However, the sizable LCSC lead proved too much to overcome as the Warriors found a way to close out one of the most exciting matches of the event thus far, 15-9.
 
In addition to her game-high 19 kills, Lauren Heuiser led all players with four service aces.
 
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) finished with a game-high 29 assists, while Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) added in 22 of her own.
 
Fox also contributed 12 digs, just one-off Norah Allen's (Great Falls, Mont. / SR) team-best 13.
 
 
GAME TWO: Carroll 3, Williams Baptist 0

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 There was no let-down for the Fighting Saints in the afternoon match, as they steamrolled the Eagles of Williams Baptist in straight sets.
 
Game two of the annual tournament in Butte was more of the same for the Heuiser sisters, who carried over their impressive performances from the morning match into the afternoon blitz.
 
The pair combined for 21 of Carroll's 44 total kills on the evening as well as six blocks.
 
Birdie Hueiser, who continues to lead the Saints in kills through five matches, led all players with 13 kills in the nightcap. Lauren was equally as effective, finishing with nine kills, and a team-best four blocks and two aces.
 
Carroll cruised to their quickest victory of the young season, going 25-13, 25-11, 25-17 for the dominant day one win.
 
The Saints hit .386 as a team in the win, their highest mark since a 3-0 drubbing of Warner Pacific in 2023 in which they hit .402.
 
 
Saturday features two more matches for the Fighting Saints to round-out play at the Big Sky Challenge. An 11 a.m. tilt with Northwest (Wash.) followed by a 5 p.m. scrap with Indiana University – South Bend.

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