BUTTE, Mont. – Closing sets was the key in Lady Argos volleyball's match against RV Northwest (Wash.), but the Eagles to be the better finishing team at the Big Sky Challenge, beating UGF 3-1. Each of the first three sets saw NU get to set points, but UGF managed to steal the first set anyway.
UGF's offense came out firing in that first set, tallying 15 total kills with just 5 hitting errors. The problem was the Northwest was almost as good, hitting a percentage of 0.209 in game 1. After UGF took control early on, NU rallied to get to a 24-23 lead but the Lady Argos responded in kind, scoring three straight points to draw first blood.
It looked like the second verse would be the same as the first, with Great Falls again in control early, before allowing Northwest to get to a set point. The difference this time was that the Eagles didn't buckle, scoring the next point to even the match at 1-1.
Part of the problem for UGF was an offense that struggled to score points more and more as the match went on. With each set, Northwest seemed to get a better feel for the Lady Argo's offensive rhythm. While UGF finished the match with 11 blocks to NW's 7, the Eagles made a habit of forcing Lady Argo attacks at the net back into UGF's face during the final two sets.
One of the most effective offensive strategies for UGF throughout the match was timely dumps over the net from senior setter
Bree Davis. She finished with a career high 6 kills, most of which came from that type of play. Davis also finished with career highs in block assists (3) and digs (2) while adding 7 assists.
Senior middle blocker followed up a stellar performance in UGF's win over Concordia (Neb.) earlier in the day with another solid performance both offensively and defensively. She was second on the team in points (11.5) with 9 kills in 14 attempts and 5 block assists.
Senior captain
Madison Wilhelm led the team with 14.5 points but hit a rather low percentage with 12 hitting errors. Those 12 errors were part of the larger problem for UGF. The Lady Argos committed a total of 28 hitting errors, 6 service errors, 4 reception errors, and 4 ball handling errors.
UGF hopes to limit those errors on Day 2 of the Big Sky Challenge, as they take on #9 Vanguard at 1 p.m. and Evergreen State College at 5 p.m. on Aug. 27 in the Butte Civic Center. The Lady Argos currently have a record of 2-4.
