Rematch no match at all

The rematch between the Montana State University-Northern Skylights and the Carroll College Fighting Saints didn’t go down to a dramatic fifth set. It wasn’t the blow-for-blow slugfest that last November’s Frontier Conference championship match was.

And yet, none of that mattered to the Skylights.

Instead, for most of a four-set victory, the rematch turned out to be a coronation for MSU-N as the Skylights dominated the Saints in their home opener Friday night in front of a huge crowd at the Armory Gymnasium. MSU-N beat the Saints, picked to win the Frontier this season, by scores of 25-15, 21-25, 25-15 and 25-13.

And other than a slight hiccup in the second set, Northern controlled the match, and the Saints, from start-to-finish.

“Overall, I’m really pleased,” MSU-N head coach Bill Huebsch said. “It was a well-played match. I thought we came out with so much energy and intensity and we got off to the exact kind of start we wanted. We set the tone early, and though we didn’t play as well as we would of liked in the second set, for most of the match, we were in control. We came out and played how we wanted to play.

“So I’m just really happy for these girls,” he added. “This is something they’ve worked very hard for. They wanted to play well tonight, and they were able to do it. So I’m just really pleased.

“This has got to be one of the best feelings I’ve had in my career,” said senior libero Holly Cartwright. “This is something we’ve been preparing really hard for. We played really tough teams in the preseason to get ready for this night. After how we felt in our last match against them (Saints) last year, and then the fact that we were only picked to finish fourth this year and they were picked first, we wanted this match pretty badly. So this feels really good.”

It was especially good at the onset.

A couple of Dayna Jensen kills gave Northern an 8-4 lead in the first set, a set in which the Skylights never trailed and were only tied once. But the early four-point lead was just a sign of things to come. Northern ripped off a 12-1 run behind four kills from Abby Nicholas and two from Erin Jensen to lead 19-8. To finish the emphatic first set off, Dayna Jensen added a side-out kill and backed it up with an ace, while freshman Alexis Nelson scored the last two points of the set, giving MSU-N a 1-0 lead.

Carroll did manage to respond though.

In a second set which saw 13 lead changes and 11 ties, the Saints went on a 6-0 run to lead 19-14. Northern battled hard and got back within two points, but Carroll closed out the set, and evened the match on a smash by Rebecca Sweeney.

“I don’t think we played poorly in the second set,” Huebsch said. “We gave away nine points on errors and lost by four. But Carroll made some nice adjustments, going to a little slower tempo, and we didn’t respond to it very well. I thought our communication went away for a little while, it got quiet out there, and we made some hitting errors. We were just a little too cautious. But I also liked the way we battled in that set. It really could have gotten away from us right there, but the girls didn’t let it.”

Northern found itself needing to respond early in the third set though. The Saints quickly grabbed a 6-1 lead and it seemed as though all the momentum had sung to the side of the purple and gold. But Nelson put away two balls and teamed up with Erin Jensen on a block to even the set at 9-9. Then, the Skylights ran off an 8-1 run behind three more bombs from Erin Jensen, and MSU-N never looked back.

The rest of the way, the Skylights were relentless on offense, putting Carroll’s back row on its heels time and time again. Northern also stepped up its game blocking at the net as MSU-N earned 12 blocks to Carroll’s 6. The Skylights, led by Cartwright and freshman Sydney Stolearcius, played superb back row defense and they broke the Saints down with a mix of powerful and short serves. From the time MSU-N led 17-13 in the third set, to the end of the match, Carroll, an NAIA national tournament team a year ago, and the defending Frontier champion, managed to scrape together a mere 15 points.

“That’s just great defense,” Huebsch said. “Our defense deserves a lot of credit tonight. I thought our blocking was really good. For most of the night, we really controlled the tempo at the net. And our back row did a great job behind them.

“I thought we also served really tough, and our counter-attack was really good,” he added. “We gave away some momentum there in the second set, but we righted the ship. We got back in a really nice rythem, played great defense and started getting some really quality swings. It was fun to watch us play at that level.”

Huebsch also enjoyed watching his team’s depth really take effect.

Nicholas was the catalyst with 16 kills, 14 digs and four solo blocks. But the Skylights got major contributions all around. As a team, MSU-N totaled 57 kills and hit a staggering .309 for the match. Dayna Jensen totaled 11 of them to go along with an ace, while sister Erin totaled 10 kills and two blocks. Nelson, a freshmen middle hitter, had a career-high nine kills to go along with three blocks, while Joni Nagy totaled 50 assists and 11 digs. Cartwright added a service ace to go along with 16 of Northern’s 82 digs, while Stolearcius had a match-high 19 digs. Senior Kelsey Williams, who has been on a huge tear as of late, was held to seven kills, but added 13 digs.

Defensively, Northern really dominated the Saints. Carroll hit just .069 for the night and committed 29 hitting errors. MSU-N’s blocking was a big factor while it wasn’t for the taller Saints. Star Elli Graff was held to just seven kills and no blocks, while only Rebecca Sweeney reached double digits with 10 kills.

“There is so much talent on this team,” Cartwright said. “And our younger players work really hard because you never know when it’s going to be your turn to be out there. And tonight, all those girls just did a great job. They were confident and they were ready to play.

“It was really nice to see some different kids step up,” Huebsch added. “I felt like Dayna Jensen had a huge match for us. Erin Jensen and Alexis Nelson played really well at the net. For much of the match, Carroll was really focusing on stopping Abby and Kelsey, and while those two still played really well, to see those other kids step up, many who haven’t had much experience in this type of match, that was really nice to see. And it was big for us.”

What is also big is the 1-0 start to conference play and a home-opening win. Not only because it was Carroll for the second straight season, but also because it gives the Skylights plenty of momentum going forward. And while the Skylights will quickly turn their attention to next week’s road trip to Rocky Mountain College and Dickinson State, Friday night is one they’ll enjoy for a long time.

For an entire offseason, MSU-N (11-4, 1-0) was left with heartbreak from its five-set loss to Carroll in the Frontier championship match. And since the 2013 schedule was released, Northern was waiting for this moment.

On Friday night, in a steamy Armory Gymnasium, they made good on the moment. And now, they’re off and running.

“I’m just really happy for these girls,” Huebsch said. “It was a big night for them. They wanted this one pretty badly. They worked very hard in the offseason and in practice to be ready for this moment. And they didn’t just win, they came out played a really good match against a very good Carroll team. This is how they wanted this to go and they made it happen.

“It just feels great,” Cartwright said. “There’s a long way to go, but this night was special. I’m always going to remember this match for sure.”

Northern visits nationally-ranked Rocky on Thursday night in Billings. The Skylights also travel to Dickinson State on Saturday. MSU-N is back home to host UM-Western Sept. 26.