KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest University launches the 2019 volleyball season this week with six matches in Montana in a span of four days.
The fun all starts on Wednesday in Dillon, Montana, with the Eagles visiting Montana Tech. The Bulldogs start the year with NU after going 6-17 last season. The teams last met in 2017 when the Eagles scored a 3-1 win. The match begins at 6 p.m. Pacific.
NU plays Big Sky Challenge host Montana Tech Thursday prior to that classic at 4 p.m. Pacific. Tech is 3-1 on the season with the lone loss coming at the hands of No. 23 Westmont. The Diggers beat Northwest in four sets last season.
Day one of the Big Sky Challenge includes matches at 10 a.m. Pacific against No. 13 Rocky Mountain and 4 p.m. Pacific against Carroll. Rocky Mountain is 2-2 on the season and last played the Eagles in 2017, hanging a 3-1 loss on NU. The Saints of Carroll open the season Thursday and were 19-15 last year. Northwest won in four sets the last time they played Carroll in 2017.
NU finishes the trip on Saturday with an 8 a.m. Pacific match against No. 21 Providence, with a noon finale against Montana State Northern. Providence is 1-0 on the season. The Argos opened 2018 with a 3-2 loss to Northwest and went on to a 23-11 campaign. Montana State Northern is 1-0, matching last season's win total. Northern and Northwest last met in 2016, with the Eagles getting the 3-0 sweep.
Northwest received votes in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll and returns a lot of talent.
Keann White (2.31 kills per set) and
Hannah Lord (2.13 K/S) were second and third on last year's team in kills, with White posting a team-best .276 attack percentage.
Courteney Carr returns after an 837-assist season in 2018. She led NU with 7.22 assists per set. Carr was sixth in the league last season in assists per set.
Abi Broussard returns after leading the Eagles with 32 aces last season.
Tatiana Ensz was second on the team with 27. Broussard was eighth in the CCC at .32 aces per set.
Cristina Hegarty is back after leading the Eagles with 504 digs (4.31 per set) last season. Hegarty, who was fourth in the conference in digs, also bedeviled opponents with 666 receptions and was second only to Ensz in reception percentage at .947 to .928.
White leads the returning players with 87 total blocks from last season, with
Kylie Szczepanski right behind at 85.
