Argos get their revenge in the Armory

To start their final home match of the season, the Montana State University-Northern Skylights took their fourth straight set from the Providence Argos. Unfortunately for the Skylights, the Argos took the next three.

Providence erased a 1-0 Skylights lead in a four-set win Thursday night in the Armory Gymnasium. UP beat the Skylights on senior night by scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-19 and 25-20, dropping Northern to 3-6 in Frontier Conference play, as well as 1-4 in the Armory for the season.

But, as well as the Argos played, after getting swept by Northern last month in Great Falls, the Skylights played even better in the first set. In an intense set, the Skylights erased an early 4-1 lead and took the lead themselves on a Kylie Pasieka kill. Pasieka would go on to have a big match, as she and Cassie Krueger were celebrating senior night.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands 12 times, including a Pasieka ace that gave Northern a 13-12 edge. Providence went back in front 21-20, but Timi Severson had back-to-back kills to give the Skylights the lead, and she did so again with a stuff block at 23-22. Fittingly, Krueger then finished off the set with a thunderous cross-court kill.

The match would stay close the rest of the way, but UP seemed to have all the answers from there.

In the second set, Mikayla Virostek scored three straight points to give Northern a brief 13-12 lead and cap a 5-0 run. But a 5-0 run by the Argos saw them go ahead 18-14. Northern hung tough, and erased two set points with kills from Krueger, but UP was able to hold on and even the match at 1-1.

Northern had to show a lot of fight from there, because in the final two sets, UP raced out to big leads. The Argos went on an 8-0 run in the third, but a team block by Pasieka and Katia Michelotti got the Skylights back in it at 18-18. And still, the Argos found a way to hold on.

The fourth set was more of the same. The Argos dominated early, and even with a mother kill from Krueger, they led 20-12. But, Northern never gave up in the final home match of the season, and down 24-16, the Skylights staved off five match points before UP's Mariah Diaz closed things out with a tip kill.

On paper, the Skylights out-did the Argos in key categories, but UP had 50 kills to Northern's 37. MSU-N hit .084, and played great defense, tallying 72 digs and 12 blocks, each on better than their rivals. Krueger finished her final home match with 11 kills, 12 digs and a block, while Severson had 11 kills and an ace. Virostek finished with eight kills and three solo blocks, while Pasieka tallied two kills, two aces and 12 digs. The Skylights, who were without hitter Haley Yoder, also got a match-high 28 digs from Hannah Amtmann.

And while a home loss to their biggest rival was a tough one, MSU-N must quickly regroup. The Skylights play their final three regular season matches on the road, including a trip to Helena tonight to face Carroll College.

"It's that time of the season, time to step up," head coach Rose Obunaga said earlier this week.

Providence def. MSU-Northern

23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-20

UP - Kills 50 (Sydney Andersen 11, Lauren Brown 10), Assists 45 (Avi Larken 21), Aces 5 (Brooke Foth 2), Digs 71 (Tymerie Vincelli 19), Blocks 11 (Melissa Gonzalez 2).

MSU-N - Kills 37 (Cassie Krueger 11, Timi Severson 11), Assists 35 (Shania Neubauer 32), Aces 5 (Kylie Pasieka 2), Digs 72 (Hannah Amtmann 28, Pasieka 12, Krueger 12), Blocks 12 (Mikayla Virostek 3).