GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Hitting errors plagued the Lady Argos in a 5-set loss to rival Carroll College, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 15-9. UGF lost to the Saints 3-1 earlier this season.
Judging by the first set, it looked to be UGF's night. While, Carroll finished with a better hitting percentage, more digs, and more blocks, the Lady Argo's four aces and ten kills helped them squeak out a 25-21 win.
In that first set, UGF hit just .115 percent. The hope for head coach Arunas Duda and Argo fans was that as the night grew older, the team's offense would grow stronger. Those hope weren't realized as the first set would be UGF's second best match offensively.
The second and third sets were filled with Argo errors. Great Fall's top offensive weapons, Madison Wilhelm, Kelsee Montagna, and Tiffany Marks combined for 14 kills and 12 errors in the two sets.
"We really struggled to find a rhythm all night," Duda said. "We weren't finding the floor with our attacks. It was a frustrating night."
The lone bright spot for the UGF hitters was middle blocker Devon Bogart. The senior committed just one error in the second and third sets and finished the match with the team's best hitting percentage.
The fourth set saw a bit of a reprieve from the hitting errors, while the team's blocking added points and forced the Saints into eight hitting errors. Reserve outside hitter Korie Milan played an important role in the set, coming off the bench with three kills, one error, and one block assist. Bogart also continued her solid play with another two kills, two block assists, and no errors.
Winning the fourth set 25-18 made it look like the Argos had finally found their rhythm. If they had, they got offbeat again in the fifth. The team managed just four kills and got blocked nine times in the tie breaker set.
While the loss was certainly disappointing for UGF it did show progress after only taking one set from the Saints previously this season. Carroll College is currently second in the Frontier Conference standings.
The leader in kills for UGF was Wilhelm with 13, but the junior also finished with 12 hitting errors. Bogart finished with eight kills and a team high of three block assists.
Freshman outside hitter showed an impressive serving specialty, finishing with four aces.
The Lady Argos now sit at 22-9 (4-5) on the year with three more matches remaining. Their next contest will be another home event, this time against Lewis-Clark State College on October 31 at 2 p.m.
