Almost Home: Skylights begin Frontier Conference play

The Montana State University-Northern Skylights are done with pre-season volleyball play, and they're coming home.

But first, the Skylights have one more road match to deal with before they can finally make their Armory Gymnasium debut.

Northern (6-8) begins Frontier Conference play Thursday night when the Skylights head to Billings to face the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears. MSU-N will then make its long-awaited home debut when it hosts the UM-Western Bulldogs Saturday.

And as Frontier play approaches, new Northern head coach Rose Obunaga is pleased with the progress her team made through four weeks of non-conference matches.

"I think so far, we've seen we have a solid lineup," Obunaga said. "The competition we've seen so far has been really good. We've seen all kinds of different styles of play, and we've played all different levels of competition. So I think we're a team that can adjust to any style of play that we'll see from now on."

Northern has indeed seen plenty of stiff competition in the preseason. In four tournaments, the Skylights played seven different teams ranked in the NAIA preseason Coaches Poll. MSU-N has also battled in a multitude of tough, five-set matches, so the Skylights have been through the ringer so to speak.

Thus far, the Skylights have shown to be a strong attacking team, led by hitters Cassie Krueger and Timi Severson, who have combined for more than 200 kills through 14 matches. Setters Hailey Warren and Shania Neubauer have been sharp as well, while up front, Haley Yoder and Mikayla Virsotek have been good on the block. Northern's defense has also been outstanding, led by libero Hannah Amtmann and defensive specialist Kylie Pasieka.

"I think we'll keep the rotations we have right now," Obunaga said. "I think what we have right now is rotations that we can adjust to any level of play."

The most recent rotations are working, too, as the Skylights swept their last two matches. Of course, Frontier Conference play is a different animal, and Thursday night's opener at Rocky will not be an easy one.

The Bears (8-4) are always an aggressive, attacking team with length at the net, and this season is no different. Hailey Copinga (RH/S, 5-10) is back to lead the RMC offense in multiple ways, while Olivia L'Ami (RS, 5-9) and Daniella Russell (OH, 5-9) are strong hitters. Senior Tess Hellerud (OH, 6-0) and middle Sydney Matheny (5-11) also pose a threat on the block, while libero Holland Ferguson (5-8) is one of the best back-row players in the league.

"Rocky is a very fast team," Obunaga said. "They attack and play fast, so we'll need to block really well, and serve tough, so we can try and get them out of system."

Once Northern is done with the Bears, the Skylights will finally get to turn their attention to playing in the Armory Gymnasium for the first time. And while the Skylights will be fired up to play at home for the first time, they'll also have their hands full with a much-improved UM-Western squad.

"Western has improved a lot," Obunaga said. "They have a really good setter, and that's the quarterback of the team. Their hitters are very fast and their setter makes good plays for them. So, we'll have to adjust to that style of play."

The Bulldogs return standout DS Dylan Fowler (5-5) and OH Kylie McCree (6-1). Both are having big seasons thus far. But, Western has also built a taller team than in years past, while still having plenty of attacking power on the outside. Tessa Miller (MB, 6-0) and Kelsey Potter (OH, 5-8) are two offensive powerhouses for the Bulldogs, while Kyra Palmer (RS, 5-9) is also a weapon. And in Western's 6-2 rotation, setters Kiarra Johnson (5-6) and McKenna Fink (5-8) are both playing well.

But as tough as Western is, Obunaga said both she, and her team are very much looking forward to playing in front of their home fans for the first time.

"I'm very excited," Obunaga said. "We've had some long, exhausting trips. So it will be nice for the girls to play at home, and especially to play in front of the fans and the community. The disadvantage to that is, the girls might feel a little more pressure to do well, but I know they're looking forward to it, and playing at home is going to be a great experience for them."

The Skylights square off against RMC Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Billings. Northern's home-opener against Western will start at 2 p.m. Saturday inside the Armory Gymnasium.