Frontier goes 2-0

It was a great, not just a good start for the Frontier Conference as the NAIA football season got underway last Saturday.

Frontier teams went 2-0 in nonconference games in Montana last weekend, as Rocky Mountain College pummeled No. 7 Dickinson State University in Billings and Montana Tech edged Southern Oregon in double overtime in Butte.

The Battlin' Bears showed no signs of slowing down despite losing three-time all-american quarterback Kasey Peters. Rocky thumped the Blue Hawks, a future Frontier Conference rival, 38-3. While RMC made an impressive debut on offense, it was perhaps more impressive that the Bears (1-0) shut down the seventh-ranked team in the nation to the tune of three points.

Meanwhile, Tech, playing in its first game without legendary head coach Bob Green, outlasted SOU, another future Frontier member, 50-47. The Orediggers won the game in the second overtime Saturday in Butte.

This week marks the start of the Frontier season. MSU-Northern is ready to open its season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Blue Pony Stadium against the UM-Western Bulldogs. This season marks the second straight that the Lights and Bulldogs play in a season-opener. Northern shut down Western in the opener last September in Dillon

The first Frontier Conference volleyball player of the week award is out. Kelsey VanUden of the University of Great Falls (UGF) was named Frontier earned player of the week honors this week.

VanUden is a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter from Thousand Oaks, Calif. UGF went 7-0 at the Master's College Tournament to raised their overall record to 10-1. The Argos beat Cardinal Stritch 3-0, San Diego Christian 3-0, Hope International 3-1, Master's College 3-0, Corban College 3-0, Simpson University 3-0 and Arizona Christian 3-0.

VanUden averaged 4.23 kills with a .423 hitting percentage. She also averaged 1.45 digs, .55 service aces and .27 assisted blocks.