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HELENA, Mont. - It took five sets to get it done, but the Carroll College Volleyball team wrapped up a successful conference-opening homestand with a victory over Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at the PE Center. 

Looking to bounce back from their first Frontier loss of the season last night, the Fighting Saints (9-3, 4-1) found a way to gut out a five set win over the Trojans (6-4, 3-1).

The first set of the afternoon would prove to be the most tightly contested, with the Saints needing every bit of their match-high .341 attack percentage to eek out a two-point set win. The Trojans started out hot, racing to an 8-4 lead. Carroll methodically battled back into the fray, and a 5-1 run ending with a Sofia Kimmel (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) ace would help give the Saints their first lead of the match at 20-19. Back-to-back Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO) kills at the end of the set helped Carroll complete the early comeback and take the 1-0 match lead.

Dakota State evened the match at 1-1, cruising to a 25-18 second set victory in which they hit a match-high .417 to Carroll's .182. The Trojans finished the frame with 18 kills, while Carroll finished with just 10.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued in set No. 3. Carroll kept the Trojans at bay throughout, maintaining a three-point lead at minimum over the back half of the frame for a 25-20 win.

The Trojans again started quick in the fourth frame. DSU opened the set on a 7-3 run, forcing Carroll to fight their way back into it. Birdie Heuiser put down another pair of back-to-back kills near the midway point of set to help pull within one at 16-15, but a string of Carroll errors and multiple kills by Raya Van Beek would propel the Trojans to a 25-19 win to set up a deciding fifth frame.

For the first time all night, it was Carroll who got off to the quick start in the fifth. The Saints were all over the Trojans, building an 11-5 advantage in a hurry. McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / SR) and Heuiser would team up the put the match to rest, combining for the final three kills of a 15-8 win.

The Heuiser sisters were a force in the win. Birdie led the team with 17 kills, two blocks, and an ace, while Lauren (Helena, Mont. / SR) tallied 16 kills, and four blocks.

Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) was also instrumental in the win. The former Bozeman Hawk posted a career-high 51 assists and five blocks. 

Carroll will have a lengthy break before heading into North Dakota for four matches in a five day stretch from September 21-25 against Mayville State, Valley City State, Bismarck State, and Dickinson State.