According to carrollathletics.com, the Carroll College volleyball squad bounced back from a two-set hole on Saturday night at Valley Bank Arena to beat adversary Montana Tech 3-2, capturing their initial victory in Butte since 2017.
Montana Tech claimed the opening frames 25-21 and 25-17 on Senior Night, threatening to sweep the visiting Saints. Carroll responded by hitting a match-best .310 with 17 kills and only four errors in the third set, shifting the momentum of the matchup.
Clawback in Butte
Trailing 4-1 early in the third set, the Saints mounted a counter-attack. A late 3-0 run sparked by a kill from Birdie Heuiser, an ace by Jansyn Carrizales, and a kill from McKaila Balcom put Carroll ahead 23-20. Balcom and Heuiser closed out the frame with the final two kills to secure a 25-21 victory.
The fourth set featured ties at 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 points before Montana Tech faltered. Birdie Heuiser notched three consecutive kills, followed by an Oredigger attack error. Lauren Heuiser delivered the set-winning kill at 26-24 to force a decisive fifth frame.
Closing the Match in the Fifth
Knotted at three in the final set, Carroll established an early 4-0 run and maintained the lead for the remainder of the match. Lauren Heuiser served consecutive aces to extend the advantage to 14-9, and Kaylen Hay ended the match with a kill at 15-12.
Lauren Heuiser led the Saints with 18 kills on .375 hitting, adding two aces and a block. Birdie Heuiser and Kaylen Hay each recorded 14 kills, while McKaila Balcom contributed 10. Jansyn Carrizales registered a team-high 32 assists and 17 digs, and Lauren Fox added 21 assists and 13 digs, both posting double-doubles.
Frontier Conference Outlook
With the win, the Fighting Saints improved to 17-10 overall and 12-8 in conference play. Next week, the Saints will play a pair of home contests to conclude the 2026 regular season, welcoming Bismarck State on Thursday and Dickinson State on Friday evening at 6 p.m.
