BUTTE, Mont. – Northwest pushed No. 21 Providence to five sets before falling and then ended its six-match trip to Montana with a 3-0 win over Montana State Northern Saturday.

"The margins between winning and losing at this level are very thin, and unfortunately, we have been coming up on the wrong side of the margin against some very good teams," Bain said between matches. "I remain pleased, though, with our effort, and the players are connected to the things we need to change in order to get the desired outcome."

No. 21 Providence 3, Northwest 2 (25-27, 26-24, 21-25, 25-14, 15-11)

Down 18-17 in the first set, Northwest scored six straight points to take a 23-18 lead, with Tatiana Ensz getting a kill and sharing a block with Abigail Broussard.

The Argos forced extra rallies, but back-to-back solo blocks by Broussard and Kylie Szczepanski ended the contest.

The Eagles saw a 23-21 lead dissipate behind two Argo kills and an ace. A kill by NU's Hannah Lord forced extra rallies, but back-to-back UP kills kept Northwest from a 2-0 lead.

NU won a back-and-forth third set, finishing it off with three straight points on a kill by Courteney Carr and two by Broussard.

An attack percentage of .028 in the fourth set was NU's undoing, and Providence captured the last two sets, swinging at clips of .300 and .286.

Ensz had 10 kills to lead Northwest, with Broussard adding nine kills and three aces. Carr had 33 assists. 

Defensively, Cristina Hegarty had 33 digs, followed by Carr with 12 and Eleanor Mason with 11. Broussard was in on seven blocks, including three solos.

Northwest 3, Montana State Northern 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-19)

Northwest ended its four-match slide with a convincing win over the Skylights. The Eagles had a .314 attack percentage for the match and registered six blocks.

NU scored the match's first four points in the opening set. Broussard had two kills and a shared block with Carr, while Hannah Lord added a kill for a 4-0 lead. Keann White and Carr had kills, and Mason added an ace to complete a 5-0 run for an 11-3 lead. 

The Eagles scored the last five points for the win, led by White with two kills, including set point.

NU broke a 3-3 tie in the second set with a 5-0 run that included two Lord kills to go with an ace and a kill by Broussard. The Eagles went ahead 16-6, with White supplying two kills in a 4-0 spree. Northwest led by as many as 13 points.

The Eagles took control early in the final set, scoring seven straight points for a 7-1 lead. Broussard had a kill and a block, while Ensz added two aces. The Lights pulled to within a pair of points twice but could not sustain rallies.

Lord led NU with 12 kills, while White chalked up nine. Carr had 29 assists, and Ensz had four aces.

Hegarty led the back line with 14 digs, and Broussard was in on four blocks.

"It was nice for our ladies to finally get a return on the energy and effort they have invested in their preparation," Bain said. "We were especially strong from the service line, and for the most part, we were stable in serve-receive.  These two factors allowed us to apply pressure on MSUN and control the match. Overall, the matches we have played these last few days have been a good experience, and for sure, they have shown us just how small the margins are between winning and losing.  We have already grown from the challenge and are excited to get back in the gym next week and continue the journey."

Now 2-4, the Eagles have a home exhibition match against Seattle Pacific at 2 p.m., Aug. 31, before hitting the road for the Cascade Collegiate Conference openers the following weekend in Portland. NU plays at Warner Pacific at 7 p.m., Sept. 6, and at Multnomah at 5 p.m., Sept. 7.