George Ferguson Column: A weekend to be proud of

In sports, especially college sports, fan bases have a lot of pride in the teams, the schools they root for.

And this weekend was one of those weekend's when there was plenty for fans of Montana State University-Northern athletics to be prideful about.

Both the MSU-Northern volleyball and football teams were in action over the weekend, and there was some big milestones reached.

The Northern volleyball team wowed the crowds at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse with two days of special volleyball. Not only did the Skylights beat both UM-Western and Montana Tech in their home debut, but they did it in dominating fashion.

And if winning two Frontier Conference matches wasn't important enough, the Skylights (2-0) are also in first place in the conference standings after the first week of league play. I won't lie and say I know off the top of my head when the last time an MSU-N team was in first in the conference standings, but I know for a fact it hasn't happened in the six seasons I've been covering the Skylights full time.

"It feels really good to get off to such a great start," Northern sophomore Holly Cartwright said after Friday's win over the Bulldogs. "This was an important win for us."

And guess what – the Skylights aren't the only Northern team in first place right now.

On Saturday night in Butte, the MSU-Northern Lights beat Montana Tech 23-12 in Butte. That in itself is big because anytime you can win on the road in the Frontier Conference, you've done something.

But Saturday's win also meant the Lights are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in four years, and even bigger is the fact they sit atop the conference standings for the first time since the 2006 season. Certainly there's a lot of football to be played, including this weekend's showdown with the team Northern is tied with at 2-0, Eastern Oregon. Never-the-less, after two weeks, it's the Lights who are on top in the Frontier and that's a big step for a program which aspires to accomplish even bigger goals this season.

Indeed. A lot happened this weekend as it relates to the Lights and Skylights and it's only early September. I've said it many times and I'll say it again, I don't have a crystal ball and I can't predict what's going to happen to either Northern team from here on out. But if this past weekend's results are any indication, every one who supports the Lights and Skylights will be in for a lot of fun over the next two months.

Well done Northern.