Skylights shine in Maroon/Gold Scrimmage

In exactly one week, it will be for real. Yet, the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team certainly looked for real already Thursday night inside the Armory Gymnasium.

With their season debut looming next Friday in Butte, the Skylights took the next step in preparations by holding their annual Maroon/Gold Scrimmage Thursday night in front of a large crowd of fans.

Before hand, Northern, which has a lot of new faces mixed with outstanding returning veterans, introduced itself to the crowd, then took to the floor for three sets of volleyball, and longtime head coach Bill Huebsch really liked what he saw.

"I think for only practicing for a week-and-half, and with this team really still getting to know each other, we looked really sharp," Huebsch, who mixed and matched the teams for the three-set scrimmage, said. "I thought we passed the ball well, we hit the ball well, and on top of that, we defended at the net really well, which is something we struggled with all of last season. I just thought, for it being this early, the girls played at a really high level."

While the gold team won the first set 25-18 and the third set 25-14, the Maroon winning in the middle, 25-15. But the lineups for each set changed, and that was so Huebsch could get a look at many different combinations and to put his many different players in different situations.

And, many of those players really stood out. Returning starters like setter Emily Russell and hitters Cassie Krueger and Cydney Auzenne looked in mid-season form offensively. Veterans like Kylie Pasieka and Jacy Vining also did a good job in the back row during the scrimmage. But, they weren't the only ones making plays either.

Huebsch brought in a large recruiting class this season, and, it appears it's already paying dividends. While holdover Mikayla Virostek was key at the net during the scrimmage, youngsters like Jillian Nickens and Timi Severson also made their presence felt in the front row, while local product Sheridan O'Neil added a couple of stuff blocks as well. Another freshman, libero Hannah Amtmann also impressed her coach with her play in the back row.

"You can see the talent we have," Huebsch said. "I felt like we were definitely talented and competitive last season, but tonight, you could see our depth. We just have so many more options at every position, and I thought that really showed up in how we played tonight. And a lot of those young kids, and the new faces on our team, they played really well tonight, and they're going to keep getting better and better."

Getting better was the idea Thursday night. Northern needed a game-like tempo with real, regular season matches just a week away when the Skylights head to Butte for the Big Sky Classic. There, they'll play two nationally ranked squads, and in all, Northern faces five nationally-ranked teams in the first two weeks of the season.

And, if the Maroon/Gold scrimmage was any indication, Huebsch feels really good about where his team is at, and he's excited to get on the floor next week.

"We've come a long way since we started fall camp," he said. "Every day, our practices have been really competitive, and at the same time, we've developed really good chemistry. This team has a great attitude, they come to practice every day with great energy and enthusiasm. They have been a lot of fun to coach. And I know they're looking forward to getting the season started. I'm really looking forward to it, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do and watching us get better and better as the season goes on."