LC State sweeps Skylights

For the Havre Daily News

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights volleyball team welcomed Lewis-Clark State College into the Armory Gymnasium Friday evening on Adopt-A-Skylight night. Prior to the match, host families were recognized for their service and dedication to the volleyball program.

Lewis-Clark State, now winners of four straight matches in Frontier Conference play, came into the match receiving votes in the latest NAIA volleyball poll. The Warriors downed the Skylights in straight sets, by scores of 25-17, 25-21, and 25-18.

The Skylights, however, did not go down quietly in front of an energetic Armory Gymnasium crowd.

In the first set, the Skylights battled back from a four-point deficit to tie the set at 10 points a piece. From there, however, they were outscored 15-7 behind a pair of 4-0 runs by the Warriors.

"Those runs are what we are trying to stop," Skylight head coach Jerry Wagner said. "They are the last thing on our board. We are still in the process of learning how to win and one of those things you've got to do is to stop people from getting large runs. They are going to get some, you are going to get some, and you've got to get one more than them. We talk about not giving up 3-point runs and we are still a little vulnerable to that. But we are also playing a lot of great volleyball in between."

The second set saw the Skylights take an early 8-3 lead on a strong block by senior Katia Michelotti. Lewis-Clark State answered with a run of their own and took their first lead of the set at 10-9. Later in the set, the Skylights would fight to within a point (20-21) on a kill by junior Rylee Burmester to finish a long volley. Following a timeout, the Warriors went on to outscore the Skylights 4-1 to finish the set.

In the third set, the Skylights again got off to a hot start, taking an early 10-7 lead. Later, with the set tied at 12 apiece, the Warriors would gain separation with a strong 7-point run to open a 19-12 advantage. Again, the Skylights battled back, cutting the Warrior lead to 21-18 behind a 3-point run of their own. The Warriors would go on to finish the match with 4 straight points, culminating with a kill by Carli Berntson to end the match.

The Skylights were led by junior Shania Neubauer's six kills, while senior Hailey Warren registered 16 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Kaitlin Murdock added 10 digs for the Skylights, who fell to 0-8 in Frontier Conference play and 6-15 overall.

Wagner highlighted the improved play of Michelotti as one of many bright spots on the night, saying: "That's probably the best I've seen Katia play offensively."

On the evening, the Skylights finished with a hitting percentage of .085 while the Warriors hit a strong .239 for the match. The Warriors were led by Brooke Kaawa and Tori Edwards, who finished with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Josilyn Remick and Carli Berntson combined for 40 assists, while Kenzie Dean and Gionni Brown combined for 31 digs.

After two matches over the weekend, Wagner said his team made improvements all along.

"We were definitely better tonight than we were last night," Wagner said. "These kids are scratching and clawing to get to the top. No one wants it more than these girls. We are on the right track. We are going to keep battling through."

Next up for the Skylights will be a Thursday evening matchup in Great Falls against the University of Providence at 7 p.m. Northern will then play its final home match this Friday when it hosts Carroll College.

LC State def. MSU-Northern

25-17, 25-21, 25-18

LCSC - Kills 46 (Brooke Kaawa 13), Assists 46 (Josilyn Remick 23), Aces 7 (Jess Ruffig 3), Digs 56 (Gionni Brown 18), Blocks 3.

MSU-N - Kills 20 (Shania Neubauer 6), Assists 18 (Hailey Warren 16), Aces 3 (Elissa Lind, 1, Warren 1, Neubauer 1), Digs 44 (Katie Murdock 10, Warren 10), Blocks 5.