HELENA, Mont. – Rocky volleyball dropped its conference opener against Carroll College in three sets on Tuesday evening in Helena.
How it happened
The Battlin' Bears surged early, using a pair of Ella Kincaid kills to build an 8-3 lead in the opening frame. A 5-1 run behind a balanced attack later pushed Rocky's advantage to 17-10. Rocky was unable to close the set, however, as Carroll mounted a late surge. Backed by two late service aces and energy from the home crowd, the Fighting Saints rattled off nine consecutive points to steal the first set 26-24.
Carroll carried that momentum directly into the second set, hitting nearly .300 as a team while controlling the tempo to secure a comfortable 25-13 win.
The third set delivered tight, back-and-forth action. After Rocky took an early 4-1 lead, neither team managed an advantage larger than four points down the stretch. With the frame tied late, Carroll capitalized on consecutive points to take the set 25-22 and seal the match sweep.
Rachel Whyte led the Battlin' Bears attack with seven kills, while Kaitlyn Wood added six kills on an efficient .357 hitting percentage. Kristyn Mentink posted a double-double with 12 assists and 10 digs, and Zoey Albert anchored the defense with a team-high 12 digs. Rocky hit .121 as a team, while Carroll hit .209 despite 19 attack errors and tallied nine service aces.
Lauren Heuiser (11) and Birdie Heuiser (10) combined for 21 kills to power Carroll's offense.
Up next
The Battlin' Bears (2-3, 0-1) return home to host MSU-Northern on Friday before welcoming No. 6-ranked University of Providence on Saturday.
This content is sourced from
Rocky Mountain College
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