BUTTE — Week 2 of Frontier volleyball conference play has come and gone, and the Frontier standings have shaken up. We have some risers and fallers, as well as some key matchups this week to look out for. Let’s jump in.
Providence claims No. 1 spot atop the Frontier
It may come as no surprise to anyone that the Argos are back in familiar territory at the top of the Frontier Conference standings. But with the conference expanding, the biggest question coming into this season for Providence was would it be able to maintain its dominance with more competition coming into the fold?
So far, with two wins against Frontier newcomers under their belts while maintaining their undefeated conference streak, the Argos have proved that they’re still very much a force to be reckoned with.
Taking a look at stats, Providence has 587 kills on the season, with a .226% attack rate compared to opponents’ .102%, and is averaging 13.7 kills per set. Its serve stats are superior too, with 62 aces to opponents’ 29, and it is averaging 12.9 assists per set. Defensively, the Argos hold a slight edge over their opponents as well, with 799 digs this season for an average of 18.6 digs per set while holding opponents to 17.3 digs per set.
On top of it all, head coach Arunas Duda picked up his 400th career win on Saturday when Providence swept Valley City State 3-0.
Providence rose one spot in the Frontier rankings to knock off previously No. 1 Dickinson State, which has fallen to the No. 6 spot in conference standings. Is it too early to declare the Argos as eventual regular-season champs? Maybe so, but if they do achieve that feat for the second year in a row, you heard it here first.
The Argos’ next matchups will be against new Frontier programs Bismarck State and Dickinson State. How long Providence can maintain its undefeated streak is yet to be seen.
Montana Tech is tough, too
It’s easy for the 2024 regular-season and Frontier champs to take much of the volleyball limelight, but let’s not discount or forget about the volleyball program the Orediggers have built under 13th-year coach Brian Solomon.
Tech is on a streak of its own, having won a seventh-straight victory against Dickinson State on Saturday 3-1. Undefeated in conference play, the Orediggers have fallen only twice since the volleyball season began – that makes the Orediggers and Argos the lone undefeated programs since conference play began. Unfortunately, these two volleyball powerhouses won’t face off until later in the season, on Oct. 3, in which Tech will have what will undoubtedly be a high energy home court advantage.
The Orediggers are putting up a dominant offensive season, averaging 12 kills per set for a .253 attack percentage and 494 kills on the season. They’re also averaging 11.5 assists per set while limiting opponents to 9.6 assists per set, and have 114 aces this season.
Since last week’s volleyball notebook, Tech has been able to go through rival Montana Western, Bismarck State and Dickinson State. Two of those programs – Western and Dickinson – were in last week’s Frontier top-five standings.
Now, the Orediggers will look toward their first true test against a top-three opponent in Bellevue, the 2024 NAIA champion runner-up. The Bruins, having dropped just one conference game, are one game behind the Orediggers and will see how they match up against Tech on Saturday. How raucous can Bellevue’s home court get as it hosts the No. 21 nationally ranked Orediggers?
How Montana Western is looking
Of the three biggest volleyball Frontier programs in Montana – Providence, Tech and Western – the Bulldogs were the ones to make the deepest run at the NAIA tournament last season when they made history and reached the quarterfinals, knocking out a No. 1 previously undefeated team en route to doing so.
In short, the expectations for Western this season have been larger than normal. And it’s not that the Bulldogs are off to a bad start; while nonconference play was a bit shaky for them, they’ve dropped just one game (to Tech) since conference play began. Four of those wins have come against Frontier newcomers; in fact, besides Tech, all of the Bulldogs’ conference matches have been against new Frontier schools. Western gave Dickinson State its first loss since conference play began.
If anything, the dominance we’ve seen from Providence, Tech and Western combined this season has just shown how strong these Montana volleyball programs are. Those three schools occupy three of the top-five spots in Frontier standings.
The Bulldogs are averaging a slight lead offensively against their opponents; with 471 kills on the season and .171 attacking percentage, they are holding their opponents to a .139 attacking percentage. Western is also averaging 11.1 assists per set and 1.6 aces per set, which is on par with its opponents.
Where the Bulldogs have set themselves a bit more apart from their opponents – and from their in-state rivals – is in their defensive play. Western is averaging 16.4 digs per set to its opponents 15.3 and are averaging 2.3 blocks per set.
Western’s defense will be tested in its next match against Dakota State, which is just one game and one spot behind Western in Frontier rankings. The Trojans hold an edge over the Bulldogs on the offensive side of things, averaging 15.0 kills per set for a .245 attacking percentage and an average of 13.4 assists per set.
Can the Bulldogs’ defense hold the Trojans’ attacking game and keep them from rising in the rankings?
Frontier Players of the Week
Attacker of the Week: Eve Fountain, Bellevue
Fountain hit .381 for the week as No. 3 Bellevue went 3-0 over the week with wins over No. 24 Dakota State, Rocky Mountain, and (RV) Carroll. In both wins over Dakota State and Carroll, she posted double-doubles.
For the week, Fountain averaged 3.9 kills per set (31 total kills), totaled 32 digs (4.0 digs per set), five blocks and three set assists.
This is Fountain’s second career Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Player of the Week award.
Setter of the Week: Bella Thompson, Providence
Thompson had 123 set assists and averaged 12.3 assists per set as the No. 5 Argos went 3-0 over the week. She posted double-doubles in the first two matches during the week against MSU-Northern and Mayville State.
Thompson also had nine blocks, four service aces and three kills for Providence. She averaged 2.9 digs per set (29 total digs).
This is Thompson’s 14th career Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Player of the Week award and her third straight Setter of the Week honors.
Defender of the Week: JayCee Richter, Valley City State
Richter averaged more than 6.0 digs per set for (RV) Valley City State against MSU-Northern and No. 5 Providence. She had 25 digs (6.25 digs per set) against the Skylights, then had 19 digs (6.33 digs per set) against the Argos.
Richter is currently eighth on the all-time list for career digs at Valley City State and currently leads the Frontier Conference with 6.1 digs per set.
This is her first career Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Player of the Week award.
Frontier standings and upcoming matches
1. Providence (12-1, 5-0 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 @ Bismarck State, 5 p.m.
2. Montana Tech (9-2, 5-0 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 @ Bellevue, 5 p.m.
3. Bellevue (8-2, 4-1 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 vs. Montana Tech, 5 p.m.
4. Montana Western (6-6, 4-1 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 @ Dakota State, 4:30 p.m.
5. Dakota State (7-3, 3-2 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 vs. Montana Western, 4:30 p.m.
6. Dickinson State (7-3, 3-2 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 vs. MSU-Northern, 6 p.m.
7. MSU-Northern (5-6, 3-2 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 @ Dickinson State, 6 p.m.
8. Carroll (7-6, 2-3 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 17 vs. Mayville State, 6 p.m.
9. Valley City State (3-7, 1-4 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 17 @ Rocky Mountain, 6 p.m.
10. Bismarck State (2-7, 0-5 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 19 vs. Providence, 5 p.m.
11. Mayville State (2-7, 0-5 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 17 @ Carroll, 6 p.m.
12. Rocky Mountain (0-9, 0-5 Frontier)
Next up: Sept. 17 vs. Valley City State, 6 p.m.
Bria Manning is the sports editor of The Montana Standard. Follow her on X at @briaamanning or contact her at bria.manning@406mtsports.com
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