GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence women's wrestling will get back on the mat on Thursday when they compete at the National Duals in Louisville, Kentucky.

It's been nearly a month since the team competed in a dual, when the the Argos (0-1, 0-1) fell to #3 Southern Oregon 31-17 on Dec. 4 in the McLaughlin Center. The team utilized the break well, maintaining their conditioning while giving their bodies a break.

"It was really good to give them a break and have some time off," head coach Matt Atwood said. "Some of the girls were beat up a little bit, their bodies a little sore. That's kind of expected this time of the year. It's good to have them back. They've had a good week of practice. We have a pretty good team put together here."

The Argos, who are currently ranked 13^th in the nation, will start the double-elimination tournament with a matchup against #9 Baker at 8:30 a.m. MTN Thursday morning. If they win that matchup, they'll take on #3 Life. Should they lose to Baker, they'll be able to continue to compete for 5th place as long as they don't lose again. 

"Baker is going to be really tough," Atwood said. "They're ranked in the Top 10 and I think we're better than we're ranked. We definitely have our work cut out for us today so it'll be fun. I'm hoping we put our best foot forward tomorrow. It'll be challenging but we can compete."

The coaching staff is also excited about the dual format as opposed to a normal tournament, which will help them as individuals focus on helping the team.

"I'm hoping that the dual aspect will force the girls to let go of the pressure of wrestling for themselves and focus on wrestling for the team," Atwood said. "Hopefully they'll wrestle harder so they won't let their teammates down. This is a really fun tournament and a great opportunity for us."