Skylights test themselves at DSU

The season couldn't have started any better for the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team.

Now, the Skylights want to keep the momentum going.

After going 3-1 at the Montana Tech Tournament last weekend in Butte, the Skylights are off to a 4-2 start against tough nonconference competition. But with the Frontier Conference season looming, MSU-N has one more challenge ahead of it.

Today and Saturday, the Skylights are in Dickinson, N.D., for four matches at a tournament hosted by the Dickinson State Blue Hawks, and Northern head coach Bill Huebsch is looking forward to his team being tested yet again.

"Our schedule has been really good for us," Huebsch said. "We are playing quality opponents and we get to see a couple of different teams in Dickinson this weekend. So that will be good. We certainly are getting prepared for what we'll see when we start playing conference matches."

Today the Skylights have a pair of matches in Dickinson, both of which should be formidable.. MSU-N's opener in Dickinson is against NCAA Division II Bemidji State out of Minnesota. The Skylights also take on Black Hills State this evening.

On Saturday, Northern squares off against Dickinson State and they close the tournament with a rematch against Black Hills State.

The Skylights have already played DSU, beating the Blue Hawks in five games last weekend in Butte. And while a rematch will be tough, Huebsch is excited about all the teams MSU-N is facing this weekend.

"It's just good to play different teams, different styles," Huebsch said. "Bemidji is going to be a really good team, and so is Black Hills. And it will be fun to play Dickinson again because we can kind of gauge how much we've improved in a week.

"No matter what happens this weekend," Huebsch added. "We should be really prepared for everything we'll see starting next week when we go to Tech. We've faced a lot of good nonconference teams and the kids will have confidence that they can compete with anyone in our league after the schedule we've played so far."

The Skylights enter the weekend getting good production from its veterans. Senior Kaylee Bossert is off to an outstanding start, leading MSU-N in kills and blocks. Senior setter Jordan Merrill is also playing very well, and as a result, the Skylights are clicking offensively. Brittany Baker has also had good matches thus far and is serving at a high clip, while senior Jenna Frankino has been outstanding on defense.

Northern will begin play at DSU today with Bemidji at 3. The Skylights take on Black Hills tonight at 5. On Saturday, MSU-N faces DSU at 10 a.m. and Black Hills at 2 p.m.

Northern opens Frontier Conference play on Sept. 9 at Montana Tech. The Skylights are still a ways from their home opener, which is Sept. 24 against Lewis-Clark State.