GREAT FALLS, Mont. - An impressive three match win streak came to an end for Lady Argo volleyball, falling 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 25-23, 25-19) to MSU-Northern. UGF had the chance to move into 3rd in the Frontier Conference standings with a win, but instead fall to T-5th.
 
The first set was so closely fought that the last 14 points of the set alternated between the two sides. Before that back-and-forth, however, a three-point MSUN rally ended a 15-15 tie to put the Lights up by three. That three point margin staying till the end of the set, 25-22.
 
In the 2nd set, UGF looked dominant. Led by senior captain Madison Wilhelm's 5 kills and 0 errors, the Lady Argos hit for a percentage of 0.381 while the defense held Skylights to a percentage of -0.091. UGF finished the set with 7 total blocks, and set up what would be a monster night for Wilhelm, who contributed 1.5 blocks to the team's 7 in the set.
 
Offensively, UGF was just as good in the 3rd set, but the team's defense suddenly lost its effectiveness. After hitting for a negative percentage in the previous set, the Skylights hit for a percentage of 0.441 in the 3rd.
 
A turning point in the set was when twice in three points the Lady Argos played a ball that looked to be going out and eventually lost the point. The first came with Northern leading 20-19 and the 4-point swing from those two plays made the difference in a 2-point set.
 
Losing such a close 3rd set appeared to take the win out of UGF's sails. The team got off to a sluggish start, falling 7-5, then 12-8, and then 22-13. It wasn't until Northern was one point away from match-point that the Lady Argos truly chose fight over flight. The team won five of the next six points.
 
Three of those points came off of kills from Wilhelm and with the score at 24-19 the Skylights had to call a timeout to regather themselves. That timeout worked, and a UGF service error on the next point ended the set and the match.
 
Through most of the 3rd and 4th sets, Wilhelm was the driving force to UGF staying in the game. The outside hitter led all players with 24 kills and set personal season highs with 4 aces and 30 total points. Not only was she the most dangerous offensive player on the floor, she was also a force defensively, earning her 11th double-double with 12 digs and adding 1 solo block and 2 block assists.
 
Senior Tiffany Marks finished the match with 2 solo blocks and 4 block assists to go along with 8 kills. Fellow senior Kennedy Chadwick led all players with 13 digs, while senior setter Bree Davis led all players with 52 assists.
 
UGF's record goes to 11-12 (4-5) with conference leader #17 Carroll College coming to the McLaughlin Center on Saturday, October 29 at 2 p.m.