They're finally in the Armory

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team knows all about bus trips. And the Skylights are experts on hotel accommodations, too. That's what four straight weeks of road matches will get you.

But, it will also bring a team together, and it will also prepare a team for the really important part of the season - conference play. Tonight, the Skylights are going to put that theory to the test when they make their home and Frontier Conference debut.

MSU-N's (8-8) long-awaited first home match of the season will start tonight at 7 when the Skylights face the Lewis-Clark State Warriors inside the Armory Gymnasium. It's the start of four straight matches at home for Northern, which also plays defending Frontier Conference champion Rocky Mountain College Saturday night.

"The girls couldn't be happier to be home," MSU-N head coach Bill Huebsch said. "They are really excited to finally play at home. It's been a long four weeks. This was a tough preseason. So they're very excited about this weekend."

A tough preseason indeed, but one Huebsch said will pay off in the long run. Over the first four weeks, Northern played 16 matches in just eight days, and they did it in faraway places like LaGrande, Oregon, Bellevue, Nebraska and Jamestown, North Dakota. But, in the end, there's a method to the madness, and it was to get the Skylights, who already surpassed last season's win total, as ready as possible for the rigors of the Frontier Conference.

"I couldn't be happier with how the preseason went," Huebsch said. "This team has really grown. They have showed poise in tough situations. They have shown a lot of maturity. The schedule was designed to make us battle-tested, and I believe it did that. But it also brought the team a lot closer together. They have really gelled and they have improved so much. So I'm really proud of what they accomplished these last four weeks."

The Skylights have improved every week, and they enter tonight's match fresh off their best weekend of the season, as they went 3-1 in North Dakota last weekend.

As a team, Northern is in the top three in the Frontier in hitting percentage, kills and assists, so the Skylights are indeed starting to get consistent offensively. Individually, MSU-N also has started to show not only its talent, but its depth.

Sophomore Cassie Krueger leads the team and the Frontier with 193 kills. Junior setter Emily Russell is second in the conference with 566 assists. Veterans Jessica Wilcox and Erin Jensen are also off to a strong start. Wilcox has 127 kills, 148 digs and 18 blocks so far this fall, while Jensen has tallied 120 kills and 40 blocks. Transfer Korrie Stephenson adds 125 kills and 23 aces to what is becoming a potent MSU-N attack.

"I think offensively, we're getting better," Huebsch said. "I think we're passing the ball well, and our serve-receive has improved quite a bit. And those are things you have to do well in every match. Our blocking has also gotten better each week. I think we can still have a stronger presence at the net still, but we definitely have improved there, too."

Of course, tonight and Saturday night will test just how much the Skylights have improved, and they'll get an immediate glimpse of exactly where they stand in the loaded Frontier. That's because LC State and RMC were picked to finish 1-2 in the conference this season.

Tonight's match with the Warriors (7-6) will be the continuation of what has become an intense rivalry. Few teams have played the Warriors as tough, or have beaten them as many times as the Skylights have during Huebsch's tenure.

But even with that success, playing the super-athletic Warriors is never an easy proposition, and it won't be tonight. Outside hitter Treneisha Doyle (5-9) is a returning NAIA All-American, while fellow OH Kennadie Clute (6-1) leads the team in kills. The Warriors also have three outstanding setters, while senior libero Russia Robinson (5-2) is as good as it gets defensively.

"It's kind of hard to gauge just how good everybody is right now," Huebsch said. "But we know LC is deep and they're athletic. They've always been a really aggressive team and we'll have to match that. But we've had some really good matches with them and we expect another good one against them Thursday night. We welcome that challenge and we're excited to get them on our home court, in front of our great fans."

Of course, getting the Warriors on the Armory Gymnasium floor is only half the battle this weekend for the Skylights, who are also celebrating MSU-N's homecoming. Northern will also play two-time defending Frontier champion RMC (10-4) Saturday night to wrap up the first week of conference play.

The Battlin' Bears come to Havre ranked No. 6 in the NAIA, and even without two-time All-American Yang Yang, Rocky is as loaded as ever. Senior OH Aleah Billis (6-2) and senior MB Mariah Stiffarm (6-3) pose a serious challenge at the net, and give the Bears plenty of firepower. But, RMC also has depth. Sophomore OH Tess Hellrud (6-0) and sophomore MB Sydney Matheny are also dangerous, while veteran setter Tori Bertsch (5-11) is a do-it-all player for the veteran Battlin' Bears. And make no mistake, Rocky is a veteran team, loaded with height and experience.

"They (Bears) are No. 6 in the country for a reason," Huebsch said. "They have a lot of returning players from their successful teams of the last two years. Laurie (Kelly) has done a great job of building that program.

"Rocky is one of the taller teams in the league," he continued. "They have a strong presence at the net, and they're always a very good blocking team. So they are going to be a challenge for us for sure."

Playing perhaps the top two teams in the Frontier is a big challenge. But it's one the Skylights have been waiting for, one they've been preparing for. And now, they get their shot at both the Warriors and Bears on their home floor.

"I feel really good about where we're at right now," Huebsch said. "We certainly want to keep getting better every day, and the girls work hard to do that every day. But I think we got everything we wanted out of our preseason schedule and we look forward to the challenges ahead."

Tonight's match between the Skylights and Warriors starts at 7 inside the Armory Gymnasium. Northern's match against RMC also starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The Skylights are back home to host Montana Tech and Carroll College next weekend.