The wait is almost over for Northern spikers

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team is slated to finally open its 2020 season January 29-30 in the Armory Gymnasium. Wait, the 2020 season, starting in 2021?

Yes, that's right, the second semester of the 2020-21 school year will play host to the postponed 2020 Frontier Conference volleyball season, which means, the Skylights are now just days away from finally beginning a long-awaited training camp, and exactly one month from playing their first regular season volleyball matches in well over a year.

"I'm getting really excited to get started," Northern head coach Jerry Wagner said about the upcoming season. "We were able to get some fall training in, it was really beneficial, and the girls did everything they were asked to do to stay healthy. They have done a great job taking care of themselves and each other through all of this."

Of course, dealing with COVID-19 can always be a challenge, as winter sports are already finding out right now. And Wagner said that handling the pandemic and the protocols will be priority number one as his team comes back together following the holiday break.

"The girls will all be coming back January second and third," Wagner said. "Once they are all here, we will go through the initial testing, and once everybody is cleared, we can be together and start getting ready for the season. We have been at this for a while. Our kids understand what is required of them and they've done a really good job with all of it, so I think everything is going to go very well within our program."

Wagner said that when the all-clear is sounded, the Skylights will begin training camp with two practices a day. He said the first two weeks of camp will be before the second semester at Northern begins, so that, too, will be extremely helpful in the Skylights getting ready for their first volleyball matches since November of 2019.

"We'll have about three-and-half weeks to get ready," Wagner said. "So that's actually a lot longer than our training camp during a normal season. Having that two weeks before school starts will be crucial for them, too, because they can kind of get settled back in and really focus on our training and our preparation."

The training will be key because Northern and the rest of the Frontier have gone so long without live volleyball competition against a real opponent. And, Wagner said, the length of time out of competition and playing two seasons in one year will certainly be a new and somewhat strange experience.

"The oddest part is having back-to-back seasons," he said. "We'll be done in April and then come right back and start up again in August. And, because of everybody getting an extra year of eligibility because of COVID - if they want it - that will really make us very, very strong next fall.

"Right now, though, we're not looking too far ahead," he continued. "I know we say it all the time these days, but we really are taking it day by day. With everything going on in the world, you can't really approach it any other way."

Indeed. Life, school, sports, it's all hard and all challenging during this pandemic, and it will be for MSU-N volleyball, too. And yet, with a very experienced team, and a group that has really bonded together over the last two years since Wagner returned to his alma mater, he believes his Skylights are well-equipped to handle what they're about to face.

"Our team has already put themselves in a great position," he said. "They've really come together through all of this. They've done a great job on the court, off the court, in school, handling COVID, all of it, this team has been exceptional. And I expect that to continue once we get going.

"So we know there will be bumps in the road," he added. "But we'll handle those as they come. Right now, I'm just really fired up to get going. I'm so excited for this season, and I think things are going to all right. I think it's going to be a great season for everybody."

Northern is expected to begin practicing next week. The Skylights will host Montana Western Jan. 29-30 in the Armory Gymnasium. It was also recently announced that the Frontier Conference postseason will be a playoff format like the one men's and women's basketball currently uses.