GREAT FALLS, Mont. – After officially clinching a birth in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship by winning the Frontier Conference Tournament on Saturday, the Argos first-round opponent has been identified. The Argos (20-2, 18-2) will take on Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in the opening round of the tournament at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 in Great Falls, Mont.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the National Tournament will look a little different this year. All 48 teams that qualify for the National Tournament will play an opening round game on the higher seed's home court. The 24 winners of the opening round games will then travel to Sioux City, Iowa for two days of pool play on April 27 and 28. The top team from each pool will advance to an eight-team single elimination bracket beginning on April 29.

"I feel extremely fortunate that we get to host this first game," head coach Arunas Duda said. "Olivet is coming from Illinois which is going to be a pretty significant travel schedule and is now going to have to make arrangements coming into Great Falls at the last second. We're very fortunate to be able to host this match and sleep in our own beds and play in a familiar setting. That's a huge advantage for us and we put a lot of hard work to get here."

The game against the Tigers (20-1, 17-1) will mark the first time the Argos have played a team outside the Frontier Conference this season; they had no non-conference games in the preseason due to COVID-19.

"That's the tough part, we haven't seen a lot of other teams," Duda said. "We played Olivet last season in the Butte tournament and we matched up pretty well against them. Looking at the numbers, they have a talented team. You don't win 20 games in a season without being pretty darn competitive and being pretty good. It'll be a scary matchup but we know what's at stake and our girls have risen to the occasion every time."

This is the third straight season that the Argos will be heading to the National Tournament. In year's past the coaching staff prioritized rest to prepare for the tournament. With this group currently on a 18-game winning streak, the coaching staff wants to keep the team as active as possible. The team will also use the week to study some game film of the Tigers.

"We're going to spend hours and hours and hours trying to break down every rotation and every player," Duda said. "We're going to try and see the unforeseen. We have to make sure we're trying to prepare for every situation. When it boils down to it we have to show up and play well that day. You can't have an off day in the postseason or else your season is over. For us, it's just preparing the same way and going hard this week. I think that's going to be very important."