LEWISTON, Idaho – Warrior Volleyball fell short of a reverse sweep of Northwest University on Saturday when the Eagles edged LC State 3-2 (25-23, 25-16, 12-25, 17-25, 15-8). Despite besting Northwest in multiple stat categories, LC State Volleyball fell to 11-8 on the season and 8-6 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northwest scored the first two points of the match, but LC State answered with a run of three to take the lead. A back-and-forth ensued until a 4-1 run by the Eagles put Northwest in front 19-15. The Warriors came out of a timeout and went on a 6-2 run with kills by Taylor Boyce and Juliauna Forgach Aguilar to tie the set 21-21. Northwest pushed the frame to set point, 24-22, and a block by Missy Mortensen and Forgach Aguilar extended the frame, but an error by LC State ended the set 25-23.
Kills by Mortensen and Forgach Aguilar started the second set, and kills by Forgach Aguilar and Boyce, along with and ace by Makenzie Stout, had the Warriors up 7-5. The Eagles took control after an eight-point run to pull in front 16-8. NU carried the momentum to a 25-16 set win.
LC State turned things around in the third and fourth sets. A block by Mortensen and Hallie Seaman got the Warriors going before three straight kills by Forgach Aguilar had the advantage at 4-1. Four kills by Boyce and blocks by Mortensen and Seaman fueled an eight-point rally that grew the lead to 16-6 and a block by Karissa Lindner and Forgach Aguilar made the margin 11 points, 21-10.
The Warriors ended the set on a four-point run with a pair of aces by Stout and a kill by Boyce to take the frame 25-12.
The momentum carried into the fourth set as three kills by Forgach Aguilar helped LC State out to a 4-0 advantage. Two kills each from Forgach Aguilar and Boyce made it 8-3 before Mortensen, Abbey Neff, Boyce, Hannah Dotson and Forgach Aguilar combined for a 7-1 run to push the margin to 16-6.
Three more kills by Forgach Aguilar kept the offense rolling with a 20-10 lead, but a surge by the Eagles cut the difference to 21-16. Kills by Boyce and Forgach Aguilar held off a further Northwest comeback with a 25-17 victory in the frame to tie the match.
Northwest regained its composure in the fifth set. The two teams traded points until an Eagle run made it 11-5. Northwest maintained control to end the set 15-8.
STAT RECAP
Forgach Aguilar led the contest with 22 kills and Boyce added 19. Neff dished out 25 assists to pair of Kailiponi’s 13 assists and 13 digs. Natany Felix Guimaraes anchored the back row with 22 digs and Forgach Aguilar finished her double-double with 10 digs.
Mortensen totaled eight blocks on the night and Forgach Aguilar had four. Stout led the match with three aces.
Kaitlyn Mickle, Aubree Dees and Delaney Sparks each tallied 14 kills to lead Northwest and Morgan Harter dealt 39 assists. Allie Flynn led the contest with 23 digs and Harter collected 20.
LC State won the battle in points (70-61), aces (8-3) and blocks (11-6). The two teams were nearly identical in kills, assists and digs.
UP NEXT
The Warriors are on the road next weekend with matches at No. 5 Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech.
