BILLINGS, Mont. – In the final match of the 2019 regular season, the Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears came just shy of a statement win in an incredibly close five set loss to the No. 19 ranked University of Providence Argos Saturday evening.

The two teams tied each other 29 times in 54 rallies through the first set. Rocky barely managed to outlast Providence in a 28-26 first set win. The second set was a similar story with the teams hanging close down the stretch. Both teams traded blows late with Rocky leading 28-27 before Providence's Kelsey Shaver knocked down three kills to steal away with a 30-28 win.
 
In the third set, Rocky led 20-18 before three consecutives blocks by Morgan Allen jumped the Battlin' Bears up three points. The Argos didn't have time to recover as the Battlin' Bears clinched the set at 25-16. Providence, however, had other plans in mind as the Argos claimed the fourth set at 25-23 to force the final decisive frame.

The match came down to the wire. Tied at 11-11, Providence scored three straight to lead 14-11. Rocky rallied within two points, but an attack error by the Battlin' Bears ended the match in Providence's favor.

After being honored as part of Rocky Mountain College's senior ceremony, Daniella Russell scored her 1,000th career kill in the match's third set. She is only the fourth student-athlete in Rocky's history, according to current available records, to have accomplished such a task. She finished the match with 13 kills which moves her to a career total of 1,005.

Rocky's Monique Rodriquez had a career-high 18 kills to lead the Battlin' Bears in the scoring column. Natalie Hilderman had 48 assists while the pair of Ayla Embry and Addy Valdez each pulled in 20 digs.

Morgan Allen had eight kills and a whopping 11 blocks on the night which ties for third-most in program history based on available records. Only teammate Naomi Bad Bear, who recorded 13 against Viterbo last season, and head volleyball coach Yang Yang, who holds the school record with 15 against Embry-Riddle in 2014, have recorded more in a single match based on available school records.

Providence's Cydney Finberg-Roberts had 75 assists which ranks as most in a single match in the Frontier Conference since at least 2010.

Providence's Kelsey Shaver recorded a match-high 29 kills with 21 digs while Averi Dyer had 22 kills. Sacha Legros recorded a match-high 41 digs.

With the conclusion of the regular season, the Battlin' Bears will next play in the Frontier Conference Tournament on November 15-16 in Great Falls, Montana.