BUTTE, Mont. – University of Providence volleyball drop first match against No. 24, but bounce back in the second match to dethrone the No. 15 team in the nation during day one of the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge in Butte, Montana hosted at the Butte Civic Center.
 
Northwest University 3, University of Providence 2
 
Game one was a back and forth battle as the Eagles took sets one and three (26-24, 26-24), while the Argos grabbed sets two and four (25-18, 25-17). The Argos put up a fight in the final set, but the Eagles found the edge to claim the 15-11 victory and take the match.
 
University of Providence 3, Eastern Oregon 1
 
During game two, the Argos claimed their first win of the season in dominating fashion against the No. 15 Eastern Oregon Mountaineers. The Mountaineers started things off as they took the opening set 25-15. The Argos bounced back in the succeeding sets as they claimed the following three in a row to seal the win, 25-19, 25-13, 25-21.
 
In the first set, Providence jumped out to an early 5-3 lead. However, Eastern Oregon responded to tie the game up at six. After a back and forth battle, the Mountaineers controlled the second half of the set as they outscored the Argos 12-5 to close out the set.
 
The Argos started the second set even hotter than the first as they took a 7-3 lead. The Mountaineers would bring the game down to a one-point deficit at 11-10, but that was as close as the second set would get as Providence took the set 25-19.
 
The third set was when the Argos really hit their stride, dominating the first 12 points to lead 11-1. The early success for the Argos proved to be too much as the Mountaineers just couldn't pull the game back into reach to fall down 2-1 after three sets.
 
The final set was a see-saw battle between the two squads for the beginning, until the Mountaineers eventually took an 8-6 lead. Providence quickly responded with a run to turn the tide in their favor to grab the 12-9 lead. The two squads battled to an 18-18 tie before the Argos would control the rest of the set by outscoring Eastern Oregon 6-3 to close out the set and claim the win.
 
Sydney Andersen led the team with 15 kills, followed by Kelsey Shaver and Ember Schwindt with 9 each. Paige Jensen lead the team with 34 assists, and Averi Dyer did work on the defensive end claiming 25 digs.
 
University of Providence had 84 digs against Eastern Oregon's 80, in addition to claiming one more block, 7-6. However, the Mountaineers out-killed the Argos 48-47, and lead the match with 48 assists to Providence's 40.
 
Up Next
 
The Argos return to action tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 9 a.m. against Evergreen State and finish up the Big Sky Volleyball Tournament with a 1 p.m. match against Multnomah University.