GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Coming off the most successful season in program history, the #14 University of Providence volleyball team will kick off their season this weekend at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte, Mont.

The Argos, who received their highest preseason ranking in program history a week ago, will be tested right from their start. They'll open their season against Dickinson State and Northwest on Friday, before taking on #8 GrandView and #6 Eastern Oregon on Saturday.

The squad has high expectations for the season following last year's run to the Sweet 16 at the NAIA National Tournament. The Argos started the year going 2-2, before rattling off 20 straight wins, including winning their first outright regular season conference championship and winning their third straight conference tournament championship.

The team swept Olivet Nazarene in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament, and swept Viterbo in the first game of pool play, before falling to the #1 seed Jamestown in the Sweet 16.

"We're extremely fortunate the way things worked out for us last year," head coach Arunas Duda said. "We were healthy and all our kids stayed ready to go. We're approaching this season the same way with the right attitude."

The team returns all three All-Americans from last season; 2^nd Team All-American Cydney Finberg-Roberts and Honorable Mention All-Americans Sacha Legros and Sadie Lott. Finberg-Roberts was also named the AVCA Northwest Region Player of the Year and the Frontier Conference Player of the Year, while Lott was named the Freshman of the Year by both organizations. Legros, also named to the AVCA Northwest All-Region team, is considered one of the top defenders in the nation, as evidenced by leading the nation in digs per set and total digs last season.

"When we have a first and second touch that are returning All-Americans with a wealth of experience, there's a lot of things that we can skip because they can pick up so much and just know what to do," Duda said. "That's so valuable. It's a great example for the newcomers, who can see their expectations and how they get things done and what it takes to be successful."

The team welcomed 11 newcomers in the gym when practice first began last Monday. New assistant coaches Dave Gantt and Kelsey Shaver, a former two-time All-American under Duda, have spent a lot of time with the newcomers, doing their best to get them engrained in the Argos' system of play.

"We have a large group of freshman that have come in and pushed some upperclassmen for spots," Duda said. "We'll see how that plays out. It's been a fun environment. It's refreshing to come back and teach and see the girls progress."

With the new additions meshing with the slew of returners from last year's team, the team itself has come in with high expectations for the season. The coaching staff has been intentional about focusing on one day at a time in the gym, rather than the end goal. 

"The expectations tend to run over year to year but this is a new group," Duda said. "We have our own standards, our own expectations. The girls, they're hungry, they want to win a National Championship. That's what they want to do. At this point of the year, we're definitely not there. We have a lot of work to do. Could we get there? Absolutely. It's a step by step process. We have high goals and I know that if everything comes together again we can achieve them. But it's a process and we can't cheat that if we want to end up there."

The team will get some insight to where they're at this weekend, with a tough tournament schedule that features two matches against Top 10 teams. The Argos, however, believe they're ready.

"We always want to win and we're always preparing to win," Duda said. "These teams are going to throw a lot of things at us. But we're going in with a mindset of going 4-0 this weekend and we're going to sweep every opponent. Whether that happens or not, we'll go back to the table and rework things if we need to."

"I can't wait," Duda said. "Let's get going. It's the best part of college athletics. Pulling the bleachers out, setting up a net, getting to play against another team. That's what everyone trains for. While taking time off in the summer, you're excited about this moment and it's finally here. I can't wait until Friday."