GREAT FALLS, Mont. – As the Frontier Conference volleyball teams make their way to Great Falls for the Frontier Conference Volleyball Tournament, head coach Arunas Duda feels a moment of relaxation.

His volleyball team just clinched a share of the Frontier Conference regular season championship by defeating Rocky Mountain College on their senior night in five sets. As he puts together final preparations for the conference tournament, Duda believes his team's confidence is at an all-time high.

"Coming off that victory against Rocky, everyone has been so light-hearted," he said. "There's a lot of smiles and everyone is just walking a little bit lighter this week. We have a lot of confidence going into it."

The 19^th ranked Argos played an all-around game against the Battlin' Bears, with multiple people stepping up. Sophomore Cydney Finberg-Roberts set a conference record with 75 assists during the match, and was recognized by the NAIA as the National Setter of the Week. Senior Kelsey Shaver, who had missed the last three matches with a back injury, returned to have 29 kills and 21 digs. Sacha Legros, who is adjusting to life as the team's new libero, recorded 41 digs for the Argos. Averi Dyer, who has also switched positions, recorded 22 kills and 23 digs. Jensen Turner also netted 16 kills.

"We made a few switches and it really benefitted us," Duda said. "I think we're a little tougher now with Averi playing on the outside. It just gives us another live arm out there. Sacha has switched and done a really good job on defense and Averi has switched and done a really good job with that offensive role right now."

The regular season finale was a culmination of the product that the team had worked all year to put on the court. The Argos, who were predicted to win the conference, suffered home losses to Montana Tech, Rocky Mountain and Lewis-Clark State. The Argos also suffered two losses against two ranked opponents, #6 Viterbo and #11 Grandview, during a mid-season trip to Iowa. In both matches, the Argos had good chances to come out on top but ultimately lost.

More bad news added up for the Argos when Shaver's back began flaring up the practice after the loss to the Warriors. Shaver was a game-time decision for a critical senior day matchup against Carroll, but ultimately wasn't healthy enough to play. But without their star hitter, the Argos rallied together and defeated Carroll in an electrifying five-set battle.

"That match against Carroll where we were able to pull through without Kelsey was really kind of a turning point for us," Duda said. "Everyone stepped into their roles so well and it showed us that we're not just one dimensional. We have a lot of weapons, we have a lot of people that can contribute and get the job done."

The Rocky game was a peek at what this Argos team can do. But the entire team knows they will have their hands full. The Argos have been put to the test so far by a majority of the teams in the field. The two-day schedule also presents an unusual twist.

The Argos are the 2 seed in the tournament, as they lost the tiebreak to Montana Tech. They'll face off against the 7^th seed Montana State – Northern (0-12, 6-19) at 5 p.m., following the 2 p.m. match between #4 Lewis-Clark State (8-4, 20-10) and #5 Carroll (6-6, 15-11). #3 Rocky Mountain (8-4, 18-12) will take on #6 Montana Western (2-10, 19-17) at 7 p.m.

However the bracket isn't a traditional one. Of the three winners of Friday's matchups, Montana Tech (9-3, 24-6) will play the team with the lowest seed at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The remaining two teams will play at 1 p.m. After an afternoon break, the Frontier Conference Championship game will take place at 7 p.m.

The Argos know the conference consists of competitive teams, but they also know they're a team that others don't want to face. They are riding a four-game winning streak on top of a determination to avenge their home-court losses that they suffered earlier in the season.

"We've known all season that it's going to be a dogfight the whole way," Duda said. "But knowing that we have some seniors that are ready to lead the way going into the tournament, that makes me feel really comfortable. I just feel like we're in a good spot volleyball wise. With the few changes that we've made, our lineups clicking a little bit better and we're siding out a little bit better and we're defending really well. Hopefully we can continue that streak."

With the team peaking at the right time, Duda feels the sky is the limit for his team.

"Our ultimate goal is to get to Nationals and win there," he said. "Our goal is still to get to the National Tournament. We realize that there is a lot left to be accomplished and a lot that we're still fighting for. Our goal is one phase at a time. We checked off that first box, regular season co-champions. The next one is the conference tournament, and then after that is the National Tournament. We're in phase 2. Hopefully we get to phase 3 and continue fighting."