HELENA, Mont. - The Carroll College volleyball team took down Bismarck State in straight sets on Thursday night at the CC PE Center in the penultimate game of the 2026 regular season.
The Fighting Saints (18-10, 13-8) enacted their revenge on the Mystics (12-14, 10-11), picking up a three-set sweep of their own following a loss at the Bavendick Center back in September.
It was Bismarck State that came out of the gates hot in the opening frame, but a 6-0 Carroll run spurred by a pair of Birdie Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SO) kills, a Malia Allen (Great Falls, Mont. / FR) kill, and a Lauren Heuiser (Helena, Mont. / SR) block changed the trajectory of the match. The Saints put together a 5-1 run later in the set, then capped a 25-23 win in the opener with a 4-2 run that featured a pair of kills by Kaylen Hay (Pocatello, Idaho / R-SO).
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While the Saints were not at their best offensively in the second set, they went on to win comfortably, 25-18, thanks in large part to a .000 Bismarck State attack in the frame. Carroll took complete control just after the midway point of the set, going on a 7-2 run that saw a pair of aces by Luci Horne (Townsend, Mont. / R-SO) and Lauren Heuiser, plus another pair of big kills by the conference's kill leader, Heuiser.
Leading 16-9 in the third set, Carroll appeared well on its way to a quick sweep. Bismarck State had other plans, however, storming back to eventually take a 24-21 lead, serving set point as the Mystics looked to keep the match alive. No stranger to late-game rallies, the Saints went back to work. Carroll scored the final five points of the frame, with both Birdie Heuiser and McKaila Balcom (Pasco, Wash. / SR) putting away a pair of kills to seal the sweep in extra points, 26-24.
Birdie Heuiser led the Saints with 12 total kills on the night, also adding three blocks. Lauren Heuiser finished with 11 kills and a team-high five blocks, while Alli Devine (Wasilla, Alaska / SO) tallied four blocks as well.
Jansyn Carrizales (Sunnyside, Wash. / SR) posted another double-double, leading Carroll with both 18 assists and 12 digs, while Lauren Fox (Bozeman, Mont. / SO) added 16 assists.
The Saints will be right back in action tomorrow evening, a senior night tilt with Dickinson State in the regular-season finale at 6 p.m. in Helena.
Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com for a full recap of that match tomorrow night, and for complete coverage of the Fighting Saints all season long.
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