When the Carroll College volleyball team packs its bags for the final road trip of the regular season later this week, amidst the shorts and iPods it will also take with it a large load of confidence and momentum.

With senior Christina Smetana and junior Sammy Priddy dominating the net, the Saints took sole possession of the Frontier Conference lead with a 26-24, 25-18, 25-21 victory over the University of Great Falls on Saturday afternoon at the Carroll P.E. Center.

"We're playing very good volleyball. We're playing good team volleyball," said Smetana after the Saints (24-7, 10-2 Frontier) won their fourth straight and ninth in the past 10 matches. "I think we're peaking at the right time."

Against an Argonauts team that had beaten them a month earlier, the Saints pulled out a tight first game and then dominated the final two. Carroll hit.314 as a team and finished with 43 kills and 17 blocks.

"We came ready to play today," Carroll coach Moe Boyle said. "These gals have had a goal in their heads for a year-and-a-half and they've done nothing but think about that."

To achieve that goal, however, the Saints will need road wins over Westminster College (Thurs.) and second-place Lewis-Clark State (Sat.). That would give Carroll the regular-season title and top seed to the Frontier Conference Tournament, Nov. 13-14 in Lewiston, Idaho.

"We're not at home, so we need the best seed we can get," Boyle said. "And we're going for the No. 1 seed."

Carroll finished its home season at 10-1, losing only to Cal Baptist in early September.

Great Falls (14-10, 9-3), which fell into a second-place tie with LCSC, had a game point on its own serve in the first game, but Priddy denied the Argos with an emphatic kill to tie the game at 24-all. She served out the final two points of the game and Carroll never looked back.

The Saints never trailed in the second game, with Priddy, Smetana and Mary Mahoney each getting three kills in the routine 25-18 win.

Priddy finished with 10 kills and five blocks, while Mahoney and Markki Otteson each had seven kills for the match.

"Sammy Priddy has been solid for us," Boyle said. "She did not start out the match passing very well, but she settled down into her game."

Carroll had a couple of shaky moments in a see-saw third game, but Priddy and Smetana teamed up on three block assists to turn the tide.

"We've been working on it all week," Smetana explained. "Today was our true test and we passed."

Fittingly, a pair of Priddy kills ended the contest.

"We played really well together," Priddy said. "We just had fun with each other today."

Outside hitters Tosha Nunes (16 kills) and Cali Buck (11 kills) kept the Argos close, but Great Falls hit just .194 and had 26 errors.

The Saints' frontcourt dominance was the result of some outstanding sets. Caitlin Tocci and Katie St. John combined for 35 assists.

"Our setters did a great job and our offense is dependent on our setters," Boyle explained.

"They knew a lead in the conference was on the line and they came in here to play a championship game of sorts."

Mark Vinson: 447-4070 or mark.vinson@helenair.com

Carroll def. Great Falls 26-24, 25-18, 25-21

Kills - UGF 38 (Tosha Nunes 16), CC 43 (Sammy Priddy 10). Assists - UGF 38 (Jennifer Peterson 18), CC 43 (Caitlin Tocci 20). Aces - UGF 4 (Kila Adams 2), CC 6 (six with one each). Digs - UGF 47 (Kyah Decker 20), CC 51 (Maureen Frauenholtz 12). Blocks - UGF 5 (Cali Buck 3), CC 17 (Priddy 5).