(LEWISTON, ID)– Despite a first-set win by LC State, No. 3 Eastern Oregon closed out the weekend with a 3-1 win over Warrior Volleyball. The Mountaineers took the Saturday contest by scores of 23-25, 25-20, 25-11, 25-18.
The loss drops the LC State record to 10-7 overall and 7-5 in Cascade Conference play. Eastern Oregon improves to 18-1 on the season and 10-1 in CCC action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors opened the first set in strong fashion. Juliauna Forgach Aguilar tallied a kill on the first play of the match and an ace by Esther Kailiponi helped push the lead to 3-1. Kills by Forgach Aguilar and Anna Merrill gave LC State a 7-4 advantage, and back-to-back swings by Taylor Boyce made it 10-6.
Setter Abbey Neff snuck a kill over the net as LC State maintained its slim lead. Hallie Seaman added one of her own before an ace by Ella Stosich forced an EOU timeout at 13-8. A pair of kills by Missy Mortensen and a solo block by Forgach Aguilar kept the cushion at five, 16-11, before two swings by Merrill made it 19-13. Back-to-back kills by Forgach Aguilar and Mortensen made it set point, 24-20, but EOU crept back in to make it a one-point difference at 24-23. Forgach Aguilar ended the set how she started, with a kill to close things out 25-23.
Eastern Oregon bounced back quickly with a 4-1 run to start the second frame. After three errors by EOU cut the margin to 6-4, Makenzie Stout dealt three straight aces to put the Warriors in front 7-6. The teams battled back-and-forth until the Mounties went on a six-point run to pull ahead 21-17. Karissa Lindner tallied a kill and paired up with Boyce and Forgach Aguilar on two blocks, but EOU took the set 25-20.
The third set with all Eastern Oregon. After a 6-1 rally to open the frame, the Mounties surged to take a commanding 12-4 lead. Boyce, Forgach Aguilar and Seaman added kills in the set but EOU cruised to a 25-11 win.
The momentum carried into the fourth set with a 13-3 run by EOU. A block by Mortensen and Merrill, rare kill by Stout and ace by Gianna Anderson got LC State going at 13-7, and back-to-back kills by Mortensen and Neff cut the deficit to five at 14-9. Esther Kailiponi dealt an ace for a 17-13 margin, but that was as close at LC State would get before EOU took the set 25-18.
STAT RECAP
Boyce led the Warriors with 12 kills and Forgach Aguilar added 11. Neff led the LC State setters with 15 assists and Kailiponi dealt 13.
Natany Felix Guimaraes led the back row with 16 digs and Kailiponi added 11 for a double-double. Lindner assisted on three blocks.
The Warriors dealt seven aces as a team, led by Stout with three, to best EOU’s six.
EOU’s Emma Burlingame led the contest with 15 kills, Alexis McMurtrey dealt 32 assists and Hailey Arritola collected 21 digs. Three different Mounties tallied four block assists.
UP NEXT
The Warriors host Evergreen State (Wash.) and Northwest (Wash.) next weekend as part of LC State Homecoming. Warrior FanFest will be held on Oct. 11 starting at 4 p.m. on the west side of the P1FCU Activity Center ahead of the match against TESC. More information on Homecoming can be found at lcsc.edu/homecoming.