Argos spike Skylights twice

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team is in the midst of a tough, six matches out of eight on the road. So, the Skylights were hoping to catch a break when they got to play the University of Providence Argos at home this past weekend.

The Argos, however, weren’t in the mood to give breaks, as they swept the Skylights in matches Friday and Saturday in the Armory Gymnasium.

Northern got off to a good start in Friday night’s match but, ultimately, fell to the Argos by scores of 26-16, 25-16 and 25-19. A UP run in the first set did the Skylight in, but Northern started strong in the second set with kills from Elissa Lind and Tammy Maddock, but the Argos ripped off 10 unanswered points to lead 16-9, and they would finish the second set on a 6-1 run, as well.

Similarly, MSU-N looked like it might bounce back in the third as a big block from Marlee Bender and Emily Feller led to an early 9-5 lead for the Skylights. However, UP quickly took over the set and was up by as much as 17-10. There was no quit in the Skylights as kills by Bender and Rylee Burmester brought them to within one at 18-17, but from there, UP outscored the Skylights 6-2 to finish off the sweep.

Offensively, the Skylights had just 17 kills with Burmester tallying seven. Shania Neubauer led the Northern defense with 12 digs, as UP piled up 40 kills on the night.

Things didn’t get any easier for the Skylights in Saturday’s rematch as the Argos swept by scores of 25-18, 25-18 and 25-19. Northern battled in every set, but a 6-0 run by the Argos in the first set, a 7-0 run in the second, and a 9-0 run in the third were enough to keep the Skylights at bay. Burmester again paced Northern, with nine kills and 12 digs, while Lind added six kills. Neubauer had 18 digs and Katie Murdock tallied 12, but the Skyligths again saw UP hit.163 and rack up 39 kills.

With the home losses, the Skylights are now 1-7 on the spring season. They return to the road this weekend for matches at Rocky Mountain College.

Providence def. MSU-Northern

25-16, 25-16, 25-18

UP - (kills-aces-blocks) Cydney Finberg-Roberts 4-1-3; Jensyn Turner 6-0-1; Bailey Christensen 2-0-0; Renae Davis 7-0-0; Sacha Legros 0-0-0; Kate Murack 1-0-0; Emily Brinkman 1-0-1; Cassi Kopsa 2-1-0; Kylee Altmiller 0-0-0; Caleigh Cookson 0-0-0; Lena Pawlowski 0-0-0; Isaura Santos 3-0-1; Taylor Christensen 0-0-0; Sadie Lott 13-1-5; Unknown 1-0-0. Totals 40-3-8.0.

MSU-N - (kills-aces-blocks) Hailie George 0-0-0; Abigail Elliison 0-0-0; Tammy Maddock 3-0-0; Shania Neubauer 0-0-1; Jada Sudbrack 0-0-0; Elissa Lind 3-0-1; Kaitlin Murdock 0-0-0; Alana Graves 3-0-1; Marlee Bender 1-0-4; Emily Feller 2-0-1; Rylee Burmester 7-0-0. Totals 19-0-5.0.

Providence def. MSU-Northern

25-18, 25-18, 25-20

UP - (kills-aces-blocks) Cydney Finberg-Roberts 0-1-3; Jensyn Turner 8-0-0; Bailey Christensen 3-0-0; Renae Davis 11-0-1; Sacha Legros 0-1-0; Emily Brinkman 1-0-2; Cassi Kopsa 0-0-0; Kylee Altmiller 1-0-0; Caleigh Cookson 0-0-0; Isaura Santos 6-1-0; Taylor Christensen 0-1-0; Sadie Lott 9-0-2. Totals 39-4-5.0.

MSU-N - (kills-aces-blocks) Hailie George 0-0-0; Abigail Elliison 0-0-0; Tammy Maddock 3-0-2; Shania Neubauer 1-1-1; Jada Sudbrack 1-0-0; Elissa Lind 5-0-2; Kaitlin Murdock 0-0-0; Jessalyn Chvilicek 6-0-0; Alana Graves 5-0-2; Emily Feller 1-0-1; Rylee Burmester 7-1-3. Totals 29-2-6.0.