GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Before last Saturday's match against Rocky Mountain College, the University of Providence women's volleyball team wasn't sure if star outside hitter Kelsey Shaver was going to play.

Shaver had sat out the past three games nursing a back injury and was still in a lot of pain. But she knew that the game against Rocky Mountain was critical. The Argos had lost to the Battlin' Bears at home in three sets earlier in the year, and she knew that the winner of the game would get a share of the conference title.

Head coach Arunas Duda had made the decision that she would play, but he didn't know how much. 

"We were hoping all week that she would play," Duda said. "She was still walking around so gingerly, we just weren't sure. We knew it was going to be a long bus ride out there too which wasn't going to help. She's got a ton of grit and determination and she wasn't going to back down at all. As soon as we started playing you see that look in her eyes and you can tell what kind of player she is and she wasn't going to back down."

The senior led the Argos to victory in a five-set thriller, which clinched a share of the Frontier Conference regular season championship. Shaver led the Argos with 29 kills and also contributed 21 digs, 3 blocks and 2 aces. Her team leaned on her down the stretch, as she swung the ball 82 times during the match.

"Once you get warmed up, you're in it," Shaver said. "I just put my helmet on and geared up for battle. I knew it was going to be a tough one. I definitely wasn't 100% at all during the game, but I just wanted to be out there with my team."

Shaver injured her back when she was 16 and has dealt with back injuries her whole volleyball career. She had sat out a couple games earlier this season to manage the pain, so back pain didn't come as a complete surprise.

But this particular injury came at a precarious time for the Argo volleyball team. She had another episode of pain the practice after the team had just lost a home match against Lewis-Clark State, their third home loss of the season.They had two games on the schedule for the upcoming week, including a Saturday showdown with their rival Carroll College, a game that would also double as senior night.

"We treated it with rest and we took a little more precaution than we normally do," she said. "We can normally be a little more aggressive and determine places for me to rest."

Duda had made the call to have her sit out the next match against Montana State – Northern with the hopes that she would be healthy for the Carroll match on Saturday. Shaver missed an entire week of practice. She did her best to participate from the sidelines, but the experience wasn't the same.

"It's been hard mentally," she said. "Sitting out from practice is really hard because I like getting better at volleyball and expanding my game. I see the girls working really hard and I want to be right there next to them and leading them at all times. It's hard to lead when you're on the sidelines. But I definitely needed it so I try not to let myself get upset that I'm not physically in there. I just try to rest my body and my mind at the same time."

However Shaver still wasn't ready to return and was forced to sit out the Carroll match. But even without their kill-leader, the Argos defeated the Fighting Saints in a five-set thriller. Though she couldn't physically participate in her own senior day, her spirits were still high.

"It was amazing to see on senior day that five-set win over Carroll," Shaver said. "It was fun to watch my team do that. It was a really good senior day for me."

Shaver sat out the following match as well in order to increase her chances of being able to play against Rocky. Though she still wasn't fully healthy, the rest ended up paying off, allowing her to play the entire match in another thrilling five-set match.

As the Argos prepare to host the Frontier Conference Tournament this weekend, they will likely lean on their senior hitter some more. On the year, Shaver has recorded 358 kills, 295 digs, 47 blocks and 30 aces. She leads the conference in kills despite the games she's missed with a back injury. She also leads the conference in kills per set with 4.5 and is 3^rd in hitting percentage with .261. Her kills per set (4.5) is good for 7^th in the nation. She has been named the Frontier Conference hitter of the week six times so far this season.

Shaver however, is focused solely on staying healthy and winning a conference championship. The Argos have put themselves in a good position to contend for the sole distinction of winning a conference championship, and with it, an automatic bid to the National Tournament. 

"We're just fired up," she said. "I feel like the stars have aligned for us. We just know we're in the best spot we could be right now and how lucky we are that we get to do it at home. We get a chance to redeem ourselves at home."

As for her health, Shaver feels better than she anticipated.

"I feel surprisingly well considering how many swings I took on Saturday," Shaver said. "We're taking it easy this week and gearing up for this weekend since we could potentially have three matches. It is kind of a lot but that's how the tournament goes."

Shaver might be resting in preparation, but she knows the stakes that the tournament holds. The team's path is laid out for them to take, and she is eager not to waste the opportunity.

"When we're in the gym for practice we set everything aside and have a really focused goal," Shaver said. "That goal is to win the conference championship again and then make it to Nationals. I wouldn't say it's easy to do, but everyone on the team does a really good job of focusing when we need to, having fun when we need to, getting our work done when we need too. It's a balance that we have been maturing to learn how to do."

"We have lost a few big ones in front of our home crowd," she said. "We're going to go out there and play with as much heart as we can and leave it all out on the court. We're really excited we get a chance to do that at home."

Shaver and the Argos will begin their hunt for a Frontier Conference title at 5:00 p.m. Friday night in the McLaughlin Center against Montana State - Northern. For a full schedule of the Frontier Conference Tournament, click here.