LEWISTON – LC State Volleyball hosted the No. 16 Southern Oregon Raiders on Friday and fell in straight sets 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 at the P1FCU Activity Center.
With the loss, LC State drops to 7-15 overall and 6-11 in the Cascade Conference.
“Proud of the way we competed tonight,” coach Katie Palmer said. “Both of our outsides took on the challenge of attacking against a big block and played with poise.”
In the opening set, Southern Oregon jumped out to an early 15-9 advantage before back-to-back kills by Juliana Forgach Aguilar and Hallie Seaman spurred a three-point streak for LC State who cut the deficit in half. The lead would get as low as one as the Warriors staved off one set point, but the Raiders took the first set 25-23.
The Warriors came out like a house of fire in the second set, winning nine of the first 10 points. Missy Mortensen had two kills in the run. LC State led 17-11 before Southern Oregon went on a 14-4 run to earn the set. The Raiders continued the momentum in the third set as the Warriors were unable to win more than two consecutive points.
“Our floor defense has really improved as a unit,” Palmer said. “They were flying around and making big plays.”
Forgach Aguilar led LC State with 13 kills and freshman Gianna Anderson added 10. Natany Felix Guimaraes had 16 digs and Abby Neff had 16 assists.
“Natany had 16 digs, but what isn’t in the stat box are her plays keeping the ball alive,” Palmer said. “This team continues to focus on improvement and I’m excited about their growth.”
Fifth-year senior Kenzie Dean took sole possession of third place on the all-time Warrior dig leaderboard, passing Tera Stoner, with a six-dig effort. Dean is at 1,577 all-time, eight behind head coach Katie Palmer for second on the list (1,585).
Hannah Stadstad had 14 kills and Marin Mackey added 11 to lead the Raiders. Annie Hite had 22 assists and Trinity Atuatasi had 11 digs. Southern Oregon improved to 20-5 overall and 13-4 in conference play.
LC State hosts Oregon Tech at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the P1FCU Activity Center.
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