Great Falls, Mont – The University of Providence women's volleyball team will honor their three seniors during Saturday's home volleyball match against Carroll on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Fifteen minutes before the match, the Argos will honor seniors Averi Dyer, Kelsey Shaver, and Tyna William.

"Our seniors are a huge part of what we're trying to do this year and what we're trying to accomplish," head coach Arunas Duda said. "They've added so much to the culture and to our program. We're very grateful."

Dyer transferred from Bellevue College in Seattle. While watching her team play, Duda was impressed with not only her skillset, but also her passion and dedication on the court.

"We watched video of her playing and she got a kill and turned around and did just this knee slide to her team with a double fist pump and was so fired up to get a play," Duda said. "I knew then that that was a kid that I wanted here."

The coaching staff was even more impressed with her when Dyer visited campus.

"She actually came in on a visit with a bunch of other recruits," Duda said. "She immediately turned our gym around. You could tell there was a noticeable difference in how we competed after a mediocre season for us. She just came in and changed the dynamic of our gym right away. We knew that she was a kid that we had to get."

Dyer has recorded 442 digs so far on the year, coming in at 5^th in the Frontier Conference. She's 4^th in the conference and 35^th in the nation in digs per set with 5.3. She's also a very big reason why the Argos are currently 7^th in the nation in digs per game. Offensively, she's also contributed 26 kills and 21 aces.

"She's been fantastic," Duda said. "On the court she plays hard, she plays light. She's a great teammate. Off the court she's a kid who's always bubbly, always fun. She does some funny things here and there. She's been awesome."

Shaver has a bit of unique volleyball journey. She originally started at Cabrillo College, a junior college in California before transferring to West Texas A&M, an NCAA Division II school. She didn't have the best experience, and left the school without finishing her degree.

A year later, the Argo coaching staff was recruiting from Cabrillo College because Kelsee Montagna, a former assistant under Duda, had played there and knew some of the players. Coincidentally, she saw Shaver, her teammate at Cabrillo, in the stands watching her former team play and the two started talking.

"My assistant joked that she could play with us and we all had a pretty good laugh about it because she's a little bit older," Duda said. "She called us that night and said 'Were you serious? Let's talk about this some more.' She wanted the opportunity to finish up her degree and continue playing a sport that she absolutely loved. She didn't care where it was. Those were her primary goals. She told me, 'I want to get a degree and I want to play again.'"

Shaver has had a legendary career as an Argo. In her first year with the program a year ago, she was named a 2^nd Team All-American. She led the Frontier Conference in total kills (451), kills per set (3.8), and service aces (47). She finished second in the Frontier in hitting percentage (0.247) and service aces per set (0.4).

This year, she's currently 9^th in the nation in kills per game with 4.39. She's 3^rd in the Frontier Conference in hitting percentage (.266). She leads the conference in kills per set and kills (274). She's tied for 4^th in service aces per set (0.4) and 7^th in total aces (28). She's also active defensively, placing 11^th in the conference in total digs (274) as an outside hitter.

"She's been tremendous," Duda said. "As a 2nd Team All-American she's been the highest All-American that we've had. Every day she's amazing in practice. She's amazing on the court in games. She has great leadership skills - she doesn't mind holding the girls accountable. She's just very mature about her approach on everything. She's the kid that you hate to lose because you might need a whole squad to replace one person but she's been absolutely a huge part of our program."

This is William's first year with the Argo program after transferring from Saint Thomas University. Originally from Saint Luica, she joined the team during the 2019 spring semester to help integrate her into the squad.

"Immediately after watching her tape we saw what she was capable of," Duda said. "She's touching 10' 6 and that's very rare at our level. She came in at semester and was able to mesh with the team in the gym during the offseason which was very helpful."

The Argos have felt the impact from William. She's recorded 149 kills this season. Defensively, she's second in the conference in blocks per set (1.1) and 5^th overall in blocks (76). She's also ranked 33^rd nationally in blocks per game (1.1). She had a team high 18 kills in Thursday night's game against Montana State-Northern. 

"She has the ability to change any match," Duda said. "When she gets going and blocking and transitioning and hitting, she's unstoppable. We're really looking forward to her down the stretch continuing to progress and continuing to get up on offense and keep hitting over people."

Despite the emotions that come with senior night, Duda has stressed the importance of the match itself against Carroll (4-4, 10-12), who's currently sitting at 5^th in the conference. The Fighting Saints are currently on a two-game winning streak, including a 3-0 sweep of the #1 team in the conference, Rocky Mountain.

The Argos (6-3, 18-6) are currently third in the Frontier Conference standings, only a game back from both Lewis-Clark State and Rocky Mountain. The match against Carroll presents a match of two teams that are fighting for breathing room in the top of a crowded conference.

"This game is critical," Duda said. "First through fifth place is up for grabs. We know none of them will be easy down the stretch. It's going to be a battle these last two weeks. It's fun for volleyball fans - it's nerve-wracking for coaches. We're just going to prepare the same way and get our girls ready to go."

Despite the challenge, Duda feels confident that his seniors will be able to maintain their focus on the job at hand despite the emotions of senior day.  

"With the emotions flying high, it's always a challenge to reset and regroup," Duda said. "The nice part is that our seniors are very mature. I'm hoping that they can use that emotion to benefit them and will give them an extra push that spills over to the rest of our team."