UP SPORTS INFORMATION
Great Falls, Mont., August 24, 2022 - With the opening weekend of the season in the rear-view mirror, the University of Providence volleyball team returns home to host the Electric City Invitational beginning Thursday at the Mclaughlin Center. The Argos host teams from across the country including Frontier Conference rival Montana Tech, St. Francis (Ind.), Jamestown (ND), Arizona Christian, The Masters (Cal.), and Haskell Indian Nations University (Kan).
Providence struggled with consistency in dropping all four matches last week in Butte, along with mixing new players with veterans. The Argos won three games in those matches but were competitive in each. Jensyn Turner leads Providence with 30 kills, followed by Zoe Naugle (24) and Jenna Thorne (23). Those three each took turns last week in leading the team on the court from the attacking position while Bella Thompson stepped into the setting role with 86 assists. Practice this week was intense and as Head Coach Arunas Duda explains, the team is working on getting better every day, "(Practice) It was really good, the girls were a little bit disappointed with the results and they're focused, they're determined to work hard and get better so that's all we can ask for."
The Argos had eight days of practice before last week and at times it showed on the court as errors cost the team throughout the tournament. Three extra practices this week has helped Providence settle in to more of a comfort level, something Duda says he has seen already, "I think we finally saw some of our kids are starting to settle in, they're starting to get that connection. It's not 110 degrees in the dorms so they are getting a full night's sleep. We still have a lot of work to do in the gym. We are in a better spot than we were last weekend, and by no means is it a finished product, but we are building towards later in the year."
It is also orientation week at Providence which can cause a lot of distractions including starting classes and playing at home for the first time. The staff is aware of that and Duda says there has been a good balance, "I think we have done a good job of keeping their head pointed in the right direction. The school worked well with us in scheduling this tournament around some of the events. Saturday we can cut them loose and they can go have fun and get on the river and do some fun things with the new freshman."
The Electric City Invite begins with the Argos taking on St. Francis at 3 pm Thursday, followed by Montana Tech against Jamestown at 5 pm. Providence will close out the first day at 7 pm facing off with Haskell Indian Nations University.
All matches will stream at www.upargos.com.
