Skylights ready to open Frontier Conference competition

Now it’s really real. After last weekend’s Frontier Preview Tournament, the league, and the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team will get the matches that really count underway.

Tonight in Billings, the Skylights (8-5) will open Frontier Conference play at Rocky Mountain College. Northern played four matches at last weekend’s Frontier Preview Tournament but RMC wasn’t one of them, so the Battlin’ Bears will be a new challenge for an MSU-N team that is off to its best start in a long, long time.

The Skylights have played well this summer, and now, as fall really beings, they look to keep improving. Northern comes into league only averaging 11.6 kills per set, hitting .136. They also have 60 service aces and 907 digs on the season, which is among the best in the Frontier so far. Northern’s 100 blocks also puts the Skylights in the top half of the NAIA, so defensively, MSU-N is playing at a high level.

Of course, a match against Rocky in Billings is never easy. The Bears may be just 6-10 in the preseason, but, with libero Ayla Embry and outside hitter Makenna Bushman, RMC is a potent team on both sides of the net, and will be a great first test for Northern, which is looking to make a big jump up the Frontier standings this fall.

The Skylights open Frontier play at Rocky tonight at 7 in Billings. MSU-N then hosts Providence next Wednesday in the Armory Gymnasium and plays four of its first six league matches at home.