Skylights ready to go again

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team is coming off one of the most challenging nonconference tournaments in school history. And while it's crazy to think that the Skylights' next four matches might even be more difficult that their last four, it just might be true.

After playing four nationally-ranked NAIA teams last weekend in Bellevue, Nebraska, the Skylights (3-6) are back on the road this weekend, traveling to Helena for the Carroll College/Montana Tech Tournament.

And while Northern saw some of the very best the NAIA has to offer in Nebraska, the Skylights will now get set to face the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, as well as two more top-notch programs from California.

Friday, MSU-N faces No. 8 Biola of California, as well as the University of California-Merced in Helena. Then, MSU-N goes back-to-back Saturday against the top two teams in the country, first taking on defending national champion Texas-Brownsville, followed by a match against second-ranked Concordia-Irvine.

So three more matches against Top 25 teams this weekend, and that's coming on the heels of four matches against teams all ranked inside the NAIA Top 15 a week ago. The schedule is certainly putting Northern to the test, and with one week before the Frontier Conference season begins, that's exactly what MSU-N head coach Bill Huebsch wants.

"There's a reason we scheduled like this," Huebsch said. "We knew we had a young team, that didn't have a lot of experience coming into this season. So first, it's really good for them to see and experience playing these top programs. It's good for them to see and get a taste of what it takes to be at that level, because ultimately, that's the level we're trying to get to. We also wanted to toughen them up a bit, and get them ready for the conference season. After the schedule we've faced, maybe the conference won't seem as difficult to this team. So there's definitely a method to the madness here."

And what better way to get ready for the conference openers, matches at rival Lewis-Clark State Sept. 11 and Montana Tech Sept. 13, than to play the top two teams in the country, as well as a couple more quality opponents. By the end of the weekend, Northern will have played eight teams ranked inside the NAIA Top 25 in its first 13 matches of the season.

But just playing NAIA powerhouses like Brownsville and Concordia isn't enough. Huebsch also wants to see his team get better, and he said the Skylights did that last weekend in Nebraska. Northern got strong performances for much of the weekend from sister's Dayna and Erin Jensen, while sophomore Sydney Stolearcius has been rock steady in the back row. As a team, MSU-N is also serving the ball well, while new setter Jayden Lynch is starting to settle into her role more with each match.

And though Northern went 0-4 in Nebraska, the Skylights did get better, and Huebsch is hoping to see that trend continue this weekend in Helena.

"I hope so," he said of seeing growth in his team. "That's the idea. To learn from those four matches last weekend, practice hard all week and to continue to grow through this process. We're playing four outstanding teams in Helena, including the defending national champion and the No. 2 team in the country. So that in itself will be more really good experience for this team. And if we continue to improve and grow through those matches this weekend, than we will have gotten exactly what we wanted out of this schedule."

In Helena, the Skylights will take on Biola at 9 a.m. and Cal-Merced at 3 p.m. Friday. Saturday, Northern will battle Brownsville at 1 p.m. and Concordia at 5 p.m. MSU-N then opens conference play on the road, and will finally make its home debut Sept. 19 against Rocky Mountain College.