10/26/2024 | Alisha Alexander | Assistant Athletic Director-Sports Information
LEWISTON, Idaho – Efficiency was the theme on Saturday when Warrior Volleyball rolled past Warner Pacific (Ore.) with a 3-0 sweep. In a match that lasted 67 minutes, LC State hit at a clip of .430, the 10th-best attack percentage in program history, to take down WPU 25-9, 25-17, 25-9.
The Warriors held Warner Pacific to an attack percentage of -.047, the lowest by a team LC State has faced since 2021. LC State middle blockers Missy Mortensen and Karissa Lindner were perfect with six kills on six swings each with no errors. The Warriors had just six attack errors as a team on the night.
The victory improves the LC State record to 13-10 on the season and 10-8 in Cascade Conference play. WPU falls to 2-18 on the year and 2-16 in the CCC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors got off to a hot start with two kills each from Juliauna Forgach Aguilar and Lindner to go up 5-2. A kill by Taylin Rowley and back-to-back service aces by Katie Rainville made the lead 9-3 before LC State launched a massive run to put the set away. Hannah Dotson worked from the service line for a 10-point run that saw three kills by Mortensen, two aces by Dotson, two kills by Anna Merrill and a kill by Forgach Aguilar for a 20-5 advantage. Swings by Merrill, Rainville, Forgach Aguilar and Rowley ended the set quickly at 25-9.
Five WPU errors and back-to-back kills by Lindner put the Warriors in front 7-1. Swings by Forgach Aguilar, Hallie Seaman and Rowley, along with a block by Lindner and Rowley, grew the margin to 12-3. After a kill by Esther Kailiponi and ace by Ella Stosich had the advantage at 20-8, Merrill and Rainville added on to make it set point, 24-12. The Knights went on a run to cut the lead to 24-17, but a kill by Rowley ended the frame 25-17.
A block by Merrill and Lindner and ace by Stosich helped LC State out to a 3-0 lead in the final set before three WPU errors made it 6-1. The Warriors tallied nine kills in a 9-2 run with contributions by Seaman, Lindner, Gianna Anderson and Mortensen to push the advantage to 15-4, and an ace by Dotson and kill by Merrill made it 18-5. Stosich added two aces and Merrill chipped in a kill as part of a five-point run at 23-7, and back-to-back kills by Merrill and Rowley ended the 25-9 frame.
STAT RECAP
Mortensen and Lindner were perfect on the night with six kills on six swings (1.000) and Merrill led the match with eight kills on a .678 attack percentage. Rowley also tallied six kills. Abbey Neff dealt 16 assists and Kailiponi added 15.
Stosich led the match with a career-high four aces and Dotson added three. LC State dealt nine as a team. Natany Felix Guimaraes led the defense with 13 digs.
Elizabeth Reid and Edita Ljuca led Warner Pacific with five kills each and Amor Rapoza dished out 11 assists. Both Rapoza and Daisci Burrows collected seven digs.
UP NEXT
Warrior Volleyball is on the road next weekend for a tough pair of matches against No. 4 Eastern Oregon and No. 22 College of Idaho. LC State will wrap up the regular season at home Nov. 8-9 against Bushnell (Ore.) and No. 9 Corban (Ore.)
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