Skylights set to battle a pair of Frontier rivals

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights saw both sides of Frontier Conference volleyball last week - the highs and the lows.

The Skylights opened Frontier play with a three-set loss at Rocky Mountain College last Thursday, but came home to the Armory Gymnasium last, and, they pulled off an impressive, five-set win over the UM-Western Bulldogs.

Both matches were tough, and now, the Skylights (1-1, 7-9) will face two more tough matches - and both are against bitter rivals.

Northern travels to Great Falls Thursday night for a match against arch rival, the University of Providence, before coming back to the Armory to take on defending Frontier champion Carroll College Friday night.

And while both matches will present big challenges for the Skylights, they are brimming with confidence after last Saturday's comeback win against the Bulldogs.

"This win gives us a ton of confidence," senior Cassie Krueger said. "It makes us want to come back and do it again. It's going to make us want to come back and continue to have fun and play hard."

No doubt, first-year head coach Rose Obunaga's squad was having fun last Saturday. Krueger has been on fire so far this season, and is now in the Top 5 in the Frontier in both kills and hitting percentage. Timi Severson and Mikayala Virostek are also proving strong on the front line, while junior libero Hannah Amtmann and defensive specialist Ashley Ponce are anchoring the back row. Northern's offense is also getting more comfortable with true freshman setter Shania Neubauer, while senior Kylie Pasieka is seeming playing all over the place for the up-tempo Skylights.

But as well as Northern played last Saturday, both of their matches this week will be stern tests.

Providence (0-2, 14-5) and veteran head coach Arunas Duda have a deep roster with plenty of talent in his rotations, even after losing All-American Madison Wilhelm. And that talent starts with the return of All-Conference performer Korie Milan (OH, 5-8). But, she's not alone in the Argo attack. Mariah Diaz (RS, 6-2), Sydney Anderson (OH, 6-3) and Melissa Gonzalez (RS, 6-0) give the Argos a formidable presence up front, while setter Dani Norling (5-8) is one of the best in the league.

The Fighting Saints (1-1, 8-8) then come to Havre Friday night. Of course, that team graduated a pair of NAIA All-Americans, but the Saints still have plenty of firepower, led by senior Holly Morehouse (6-0, RS) and junior Brielle Bumgarner (6-1, MH). Senior middle Mallory Arbizzani (6-3) is also stepping up this season to give Carroll its usual tall presence at the net, while setter Rayna Pilgeram (6-0) is off to a strong start in her first year running the Carroll attack.

So while the Argos are Northern's first priority this week, the Skylights will be extremely excited to get back in the Armory Friday night, in what is a big weekend for Northern home athletics all the way around.

"We love playing at home," Krueger said. "We love the support we get, and how fired up the crowd gets. It makes us play harder. It's just such an electric atmosphere in our gym."

The Skylights battle Providence Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Great Falls. Northern's match with Carroll is set for 7 p.m. Friday in the Armory Gymnasium.