KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – LC State Volleyball took on Oregon Tech in its first Cascade Conference road matchup of the season and fell to the Owls in straight sets (26-24, 25-19, 25-19). Senior libero Kenzie Dean climbed to No. 5 all-time in the Warrior Volleyball record book with 10 digs on Friday to move her to 1,408 in her career.
The Warriors sit at 3-6 on the season and 2-2 on CCC action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A pair of OIT errors gave LC State an early 2-1 advantage, and a kill by Anna Merrill made it 3-2. A big swing by Juliauna Forgach Aguilar gave the Warriors momentum and another by Karissa Lindner helped grow the Warrior lead. Merrill and Lindner put up a block before Sofie Langer dealt an ace to push the score to 10-6 and force a OIT timeout.
Kills by Merrill and Langer kept LC in front by a slim 12-9 margin. Langer tallied her second kill of the set before swapping with Esther Kailiponi who promptly dealt a service ace. Kills by Kierstyn York and Linder maintained a three-point LC State lead at 17-14, but a rally by OIT had the score tied at 21-21. The Owls carried their run to a 26-24 set win.
A kill by Merrill, ace by Makenzie Stout and block by Merrill and Lindner got the Warriors out to a 3-0 lead in the second frame. Gianna Anderson notched a pair of kills to push the advantage to 6-2 before an ace by the freshman made it 8-4.
The freshmen duo of Lindner and Anderson continued to excel, and sophomore counterparts Kailiponi and Forgach Aguilar connected on a kill at 18-14. The Owls surged late once again to pull ahead and take the set 25-19.
Two kills by Lindner and one by Merrill were followed by an ace by Langer, and a block by Forgach Aguilar and Lindner gave the Warriors a 5-1 early lead. OIT erased the cushion and took a 12-8 advantage. The difference grew to 14-9, and the Owls controlled the rest of the set for a 25-19.
Dean led the Warriors with 10 digs to move into the fifth all-time at LC State (1,408). Merrill and Lindner tied for the team-lead in kills with six each, and Langer dealt 11 assists and three aces. Kailiponi had 10 assists with her three aces. Lindner led the defense with seven blocks.
UP NEXT
The Warriors continue the road trip on Saturday at No. 19 Southern Oregon at 5 p.m.
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