GAVIN DERKATCH 406 MT Sports
BUTTE -- The six Frontier Conference volleyball teams will descend upon Armory Gymnasium in Havre this weekend for the conference tournament.
The winner will be crowned on Saturday and along with a tournament title, it will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.
Here are three things to watch ahead of this weekend's Frontier Conference volleyball tournament.
Providence looks to pull off the double
The Frontier's regular-season championship race came down to the final day of league action as Providence swept Montana Tech on Saturday to win the title on its home court.
Tech had been the only Frontier team that Providence hadn't beaten this season, but the Argos found a way when it mattered most against the two-time defending regular-season champs.
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Now, the Argos will look to double up with a tournament championship, which hasn't been done in the Frontier since they did it in 2021.
Providence has been the most consistent team in the Frontier since nonconference play began in August. Each of the Argos' six losses have come to teams ranked 19th or higher in the NAIA's latest coaches' poll released on Oct. 30.
The Argos have the league leader in kills per set (Nina Janjic, 3.77), blocks per set (Cabry Taylor, 1.38) and assists per set (Bella Thompson, 11.62).
Western goes for repeat tournament title
After Tech won the regular-season championship last season, Montana Western went on to earn the conference's automatic bid by winning its first tournament title since 1998.
The Bulldogs will look to do the same this weekend. They would be the first repeat tournament champion since Providence won four in a row from 2018 to 2021.
Similar to last year, Western would have to win three games in two days to pull it off. But with an ultra-experienced roster, the Bulldogs may be feeling even better about their postseason chances this time around.
Western is 1-2 against both Providence and Tech this season but has an 8-1 record against the rest of the league. The Bulldogs' only defeat to a Frontier team not named Providence or Tech was on Sept. 20 against Carroll.
Could the Frontier get four postseason bids?
Entering this weekend's conference tournament, it appears that Providence, Tech and Western should be secure in the 48-team NAIA national tournament field. All three teams have been ranked inside the top 20 in the past three coaches' polls.
If the Argos, Bulldogs or Orediggers win this weekend's conference tournament, those three teams likely move on while the season ends for Carroll, MSU-Northern and Rocky Mountain.
But if one of the latter teams finds a way to win three games in two days this weekend, the Frontier could presumably get four of its six teams into the national tournament.
Conference tournament schedule
Friday, Nov. 15
Carroll v. MSU-Northern, 11 a.m.
Rocky Mountain v. Montana Western, 1:30 p.m.
Lowest seed remaining v. Providence, 5 p.m.
High seed remaining v. Montana Tech, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 16
Frontier tournament championship game, 7 p.m.
Final league standings
No. 14 Providence -- 23-6, 12-3
No. 19 Montana Tech -- 19-9, 11-4
No. 15 Montana Western -- 20-8, 10-5
(RV) Carroll -- 17-12, 5-10
MSU-Northern -- 12-15, 4-11
Rocky Mountain -- 13-18, 3-12
Players of the Week
Attacker: Senior right side Nina Janjic, Providence
Defender: Senior defensive specialist Brooke Ark, Rocky Mountain
Setter: Junior setter Bella Thompson, Providence
Gavin Derkatch is a sports reporter for the Montana Standard. Follow him on Twitter @GDerkatch or email him gavin.derkatch@406mtsports.com
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