Confident Skylights hit the road

Confidence is a big key to success in sports. And as the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team enters the last two weeks of the regular season, the Skylights are looking for confidence to help them notch a few more wins before postseason play.

MSU-N will get that chance tonight when the Skylights (2-6, 10-14) visit Lewis-Clark State for a Frontier Conference showdown. Northern is also on the road to face rival Carroll College Saturday.

While both matches will be tough, and are rematches of Skylight losses earlier this season, given how Northern played in its four-set win against UM-Western last Saturday night, the Skylights should have plenty of confidence for this weekend’s road matches.

“Any time you can get a win in this league, it should give you confidence,” said Northern head coach Bill Huebsch. “We’ve played everybody in our league very tough. We have had some very close sets and matches, so we know we can play with anybody. And hopefully, this win (UM-Western) is kind of a turning point for us. Because we still have time to improve our position in the conference tournament.”

Last Saturday’s win in the Armory Gymnasium certainly looked like a turning point, as the Skylights were able to put away close sets, and that has given them trouble for much of the season. With such a talented lineup, being able to win close would be a huge boost to Northern down the stretch.

MSU-N is led by sophomore Cassie Krueger, who is sixth in the Frontier in kills with 289. Korrie Stephenson is also 16th in kills, while Jessica Wilcox is 19th and Erin Jensen is 21st. Emily Russell has also had an outstanding season, as she is third in the conference with 816 kills, while defensively, Jacy Vining has 341 digs and Jensen is 10th in the league with 65 blocks.

But, as talented as Northern is, and as well as the Skylights played at home last Saturday, the road matches they’re facing won’t be easy.

Northern lost a tight four-setter to LC State to open conference play last month, and the Warriors (6-3, 17-10) have been on a major roll of late. LCSC has won three in a row, including becoming the first team to beat Rocky Mountain College in a conference match in nearly two seasons. LCSC beat the Battlin’ Bears last Saturday night in five sets. So, the Skylights are up against perhaps the hottest team in the Frontier, and with star players like Kennadie Clute and Treneisha Doyle, tonight’s match, in Lewiston, Idaho, will be a tough one.

So, too, will Saturday’s visit to Carroll. The Fighting Saints (6-2, 15-10) swept the Skylights last month in Havre, and they have been a force all season long. Carroll is big on the front line, led by middle blocker Crystal Schmidt. But she has help from some tall friends, including Holly Morehouse and Paige Montgomery. So yet again, Northern will have to figure out how to beat a much taller team.

Still, the Skylights come into their longest road trip of conference play feeling good about where they are and how they’re playing. If they can keep it going, they might just become a team that no one wants to play come conference tournament time.

"Winning always gives you added confidence," Jensen said following MSU-N victory against Western. "You know you can do it again after you win a match like this one. So, I think we will have a lot more confidence for these last few matches."

Tonight’s match between Northern and LC State will start at 8 in Lewiston, Idaho. The Skylights will play Carroll at 5 p.m. Saturday in Helena.