Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Jacy Vining, MSU-Northern Volleyball

While teams are still jockeying in the Frontier Conference race, the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team has two important home games on the final weekend of the regular season.

Certainly, the Skylights want to win to try and improve their standing in the conference, but MSU-N will have another motivation and that will be sending out seniors like Jacy Vining in style with one final win in the Armory Gymnasium.

As far as seniors go, the Skylights only have three this season. One is Vining, who transferred to Northern after playing two years at Spokane Community College. Vining's former community-college teammate is another senior. Her name is Emily Russell, she's a Kalispell native and is one of the biggest reasons Vining ended up at MSU-N.

"It really had a lot to do with Emily," Vining said. "She came up here and was playing with them during the spring and she really liked it. So I came here in the summer for a visit, and I really liked it here."

While Vining is less than fond of the occasional sub-zero temperatures that often come during winters along the Hi-Line, she said she has enjoyed her experience in Havre. And for the past two seasons she has been a mainstay in the MSU-N lineup.

As far as the Skylights are concerned, the tandem of Vining and Russell has been fruitful over the past two seasons. Last year, Vining, a defensive specialist, racked up 415 digs. This year, she has amassed 145.

While Northern will be celebrating its senior class this weekend with consecutive home matches against Lewis and Clark State and Montana Tech Friday and Saturday, the Skylights, who are 5-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play, still have a chance to finish at .500 in the Frontier and move up from the sixth spot, where they currently find themselves.

And with a season-finale against Montana Tech, which is nationally ranked at No. 25, Northern has a chance to send out its 2016 seniors in memorable fashion. Yet, before the Skylights look to do just that, the Havre Daily News caught up with Vining for five questions.

HDN: How has your experience been playing volleyball at Northern?

Vining: "It's been great. I love my team, especially this year. The community has been really great, too. It's definitely a lot different than Spokane, but it's a good town, everyone loves sports and I have loved it here."

HDN: What was the biggest adjustment for you coming from Spokane?

Vining: "It's definitely a lot colder here. The negative degrees isn't my favorite thing. Winter isn't my favorite thing either. My hometown is pretty cold, too, but not as negative as it gets here."

HDN: What is a hobby of yours or something you do for fun?

Vining: "I am a hunter. That was one of the things I was most excited about when I came here because I could get in-state tags. But they changed that now. But I did get my first deer last fall."

HDN: What is it like to think this weekend you will play your final home match?

Vining: "It's kind of hard to believe. It will be difficult. I mean this is all I have ever known. It's what I have been doing each year in August, so that will probably be the weirdest thing, but I have had a great career in volleyball and I am glad I chose here to finish my career."

HDN: What are you going to miss the most about volleyball?

Vining: "Well, I am a very competitive person, so I am going to miss the game. But mostly, I am going to miss my teammates. I have met a lot of great girls here and even back when I was at community college. That has been the best part for me is all the girls I have gotten to know."