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HELENA, Mont. - Friday evening was one to remember for the Carroll Volleyball team, as they knocked-off No. 7-ranked Providence in four sets at the PE Center to remain unbeaten in Frontier Conference play.

Entering the evening, the Fighting Saints (7-2, 2-0) had not won a game over a Top-10 team since 2017 (Aug. 18, 2017 - No. 4 Midland). Carrying momentum from a conference-opening sweep of Rocky earlier in the week, however, Carroll came out of the night with a marquis win.

"It felt like we were truly out there playing for one another tonight." said Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) "We had so much energy. The crowd had so much energy, and it was just so much fun to be competing in that big of a match."

Just three days removed from a historic first set comeback that sparked a three-set sweep, Carroll found themselves in a similar spot against the Argos (6-2, 0-1). Providence was red hot in the opening frame, while the Saints struggled on the attack. The Argos hit a match-high .351 as a team in the first, and put the Saints on the ropes at 24-20. A thunderous Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO) kill looked like it might kick-start another Carroll comeback, but a well-timed timeout by Providence would halt any momentum and help them close out the set one win, 25-21.

A 5-0 run by the Saints turned into a 6-1 run by the Argos in a back-and-forth early portion of the second set. With Providence leading 9-7, the turning point of the match came around. Confusion between the line judge and officials resulted in a replayed point, negating what originally appeared to be an Argo point. Another big time kill from Hay helped flip the momentum, and the Saints found their groove. Timely kills from Hay, Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO), Kendall Denny (Fairfield, Wash. / R-FR), Lauren Heuiser, and even setter Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) lifted the Saints to a 25-21 win to even the match.

Carroll's best hitting frame of the night came in the third set (.310), and the timing couldn't have been better. Kendall Denny was instrumental in helping the Saints build a 14-8 lead, while senior leader Lauren Heuiser was equally as impressive. Luci Horne (Townsend, Mont. / R-SO) came on the court in the later stages and helped put the frame to rest with spectacular play on the back line and some of the best serves from any Saint all season. Fittingly, Denny and Heuiser closed out the 25-20 set win, combining for the final two kills.

The importance of the third set win can't be understated. The Saints and Argos had squared-off eight times since Carroll's last win in the series. In the eight-game skid, the Saints had won only three total sets, and hadn't won two frames in a match in any of the meetings dating back to 2022.

The ranked win wouldn't come easy, as the Saints were forced to hold-off one last Argo run at the tail end of the fourth frame. The Saints raced out to a 10-5 lead, but Providence continued to chip away at the five-point advantage throughout. Kaylen Hay brought the large Carroll crowd to their feet with her 10th kill of the night to give Carroll a 24-22 lead, but UP wouldn't go quietly. A Kyla Stanley kill made things 24-23 as tensions rose. Birdie Huieser would put the match to bed on the ensuing serve, putting away a kill in the back-right corner to close out the big win.

"This team just has so much grit." said Lauren Heuiser "We just refuse to give up or quit, and I truly think that's going to take us where we want to go this year. It's been so much fun to watch everyone in the program grow this year, and it was great to see those two redshirts (Hay and Denny) in action and playing so well."

Hueiser, who continues to lead the Saints in total kills (115), led all players with 15 kills in the win. Kendall Denny had her first impact performance, finishing with 12 kills, while Kaylen Hay finished her big night with 10.

Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR), the biggest factor in Tuesday's win over Rocky, continued her strong week, posting a double-double with a team-high 28 assists and 12 digs.

Luci Horne finished with a match-high four aces, bringing her season total to nine.

The Saints won't have time to celebrate the win, as they'll turn around looking to cap the first week of conference play on a high-note tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. when they host MSU-Northern.