Skylights aim to get it rolling in the Armory

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team has been on a rough streak as the Skylights have lost 13 games in a row. They hope to finally put that streak to an end this weekend as they host a pair of matches against Carroll College at the Armory Gymnasium.

Despite the skid, MSU-N head coach Jerry Wagner is confident that his team can get back in the win column.

"We're getting better," Wagner said. "We obviously have everything to gain when we go out there and nothing to lose. Our backs are against the wall."

The Skylights head into the weekend with a record of 1-13, putting them last in the Frontier Conference.

The Skylights will need Rylee Burmester to continue her strong season as she is fifth in the conference with an average of 3.1 kills per set and leads the team with 153 kills. She will need help from Emily Feller, who is fifth in the conference with 408 total assists and an average of 8.2 assists a set. Northern will also need Shania Neubauer to make an impact as she leads the team in digs and is fifth in the Frontier Conference averaging 4.8 digs per set.

Carroll College comes into the weekend with a 9-5 record, good for third in the Frontier Conference. The Saints are on a two-game winning streak as they defeated Montana Western twice last weekend.

One player the Skylights will have to keep an eye on is Taelyr Krantz. She leads the Frontier Conference with a 31.3 hitting percentage. Krantz is third in the conference with 180 kills and an average of 3.3 kills per set. However, Wagner does not want to make the mistake of just focusing on one of Carroll's players.

"They're veteran across the board," Wagner said. "If you pay too much attention to one, somebody else will go off on you, so pretty much got to play them straight."

The teams' statistics reflect their placing in the conference. MSU-N's team hitting percentage is 9.6 percent, last in the conference. Meanwhile, Carroll College is in the middle of the conference with a 17.4 hitting percentage.

The Skylights are second to last in the conference averaging 10.4 kills per set while the Saints average 12.4 a set. Carroll College also has the advantage in assists per set as they average 10.6 while MSU-N averages 8.9.

The Skylights and Saints have already played this season as they played a back-to-back Feb. 12-13. Carroll College came out of the weekend winning both games. They defeated MSU-N, 3-1, in their first game and then won, 3-0, the next day. Lexi Mikkelson led the Saints in kills in both matchups. Meanwhile, Elissa Lind recorded 13 kills for the Skylights in both games. The Skylights did play them close in each set, so Wagner hopes that his team can be more clutch.

"We were within a point or two and then things got away from us," Wagner said. "We just got to stop these multiple-point runs and then just end them sooner and we'll be right there in the thick of things at the end."

Northern and Carroll start their first game tonight at 7 at the Armory Gymnasium. They then play again at the same venue Saturday at 1 p.m.