The Carroll College volleyball team begins the second half of its Frontier Conference schedule tonight, looking to avenge a first-round loss.

The Saints play host to Rocky Mountain College at 7 p.m. in the Carroll P.E. Center.

Rocky Mountain beat Carroll 25-19, 25-16, 25-21 in the first conference meeting, but the Saints improved significantly since then.

Following the loss, Carroll won five of its next seven Frontier matches and is 15-5 overall.

The Saints are also coming off five straight wins and a tournament title at the Pepsi Classic in Havre last week.

"Rocky and (Lewis-Clark State) were the only teams we lost to," said junior middle hitter Christina Smetana. "There is a little revenge there."

The Saints have made big changes since that first match, beginning with a new lineup.

"We were watching film on how we played Rocky we were completely different," said junior setter Katie St. John. "I think we've improved a lot on our back row play, our passing has stepped up a lot and our blocking as well."

A few things haven't changed, and that's the excellent play of both Smetana and St. John.

Smetana, a Capital High graduate, leads the team with three kills per set.

St. John and freshman Caitlin Tocci, meanwhile, share duties at the setter position and have been able to spread the ball around to other hitters, including Haylee Otteson (2.2 kps) and Sammy Priddy (1.9 kps).

Otteson leads the squad with 1.4 blocks per set while Maureen Frauenholtz and Mary Mahoney are two of the team's top defenders with 3.2 and 2.4 digs per set, respectively.

They'll be watching out for Rocky's Jessica Eliason, a left-handed, right-side hitter who is averaging 3.2 kills per game. She had 10 kills last match to lead the Bears against the Saints.

Carroll head coach Moe Boyle said changes were needed after the Saints hit the more difficult conference play. Now, they're playing with renewed energy.

"I think this is one of the times when we can build momentum going into the second half of the season," she said. "We're going into this match with a lot of confidence and hoping we can put together the beginning to the second half."

Assistant Sports Editor Jeff Windmueller: 447-4065 or jeff.windmueller@helenair.com.