LEWISTON, ID – LC State Volleyball came out firing on all cylinders on Friday to open the 2025 season with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) sweep of the MSU-Northern Skylights in the P1FCU Activity Center. The Warriors dominated all facets of the contest with stellar offense and defense.
Juliauna Forgach Aguilar picked up where she left off last season with 20 kills to lead the contest, and freshman Alba Carpena shined in her collegiate debut with nine kills.
“Today was a great day for the Warriors to be tested,” coach Katie Palmer said. “Northern is a tough team with a strong offensive presence in the middle and right side. We found out a lot about ourselves and now know the areas we need to keep developing.”
LC State held the Skylights to a .104 attack percentage aided by eight blocks. The Warriors dealt six aces from the service line.
“I really enjoyed our defensive effort,” Palmer added. “We are scrappier than ever and that’s a testament to the work done in the offseason. I also appreciated our servers who, when challenged, rose up and started putting more pressure on the Skylights serve receive line. Overall, it was great to get a win in front of an outstanding crowd. Our student section was loud and rowdy, and it was great to see our season ticket holders in the stands again. LC State is a special place.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set was a tight battle until a three-point swing by the Warriors broke a 10-10 tie. Forgach Aguilar and Carpena tallied back-to-back kills and a service ace by Makenzie Stout had the margin at 13-10. A block by Carpena and Abby Beaton was followed by a termination by Forgach Aguilar to stretch the lead to 17-12.
The Skylights cut the difference to three, 19-16, late in the set before kills by Taylor Boyce and Forgach Aguilar and an ace by Esther Kailiponi made it 22-16. Carpena notched a pair of kills at 24-17, and Forgach Aguilar ended a short MSU-N run with a kill at 25-21.
The freshmen duo of Carpena and Helena Stewart started the second set with a block for a quick 1-0 advantage. Kills by Carpena and Forgach Aguilar, a block by Beaton and Teagan Scott and an ace by Forgach Aguilar had the Warriors in front 8-2, but Northern rallied to cut the difference to 12-11.
LC State put its foot on the gas for the rest of the frame. Back-to-back kills by Forgach Aguilar helped the lead grow to 16-11, and a kill by Carpena sparked a run of five with tallies by Forgach Aguilar, Scott and Beaton for a 21-13 advantage. Kills by Forgach Aguilar, Kendall Focht and Boyce, as well as a block by Boyce and Beaton, ended the set 25-14.
The final set was similar to the first as LC State held a slim 8-7 lead early in the frame. A block by Scott was followed by kills by Carpena and Kailiponi to push the margin to 11-7, and two swings each from Forgach Aguilar and Caprena made it 15-11.
The offensive barrage continued with points from Forgach Aguilar, Scott, Hannah Dotson and Boyce grew the lead to 19-14. A pair of blocks and an ace had the score at match point, 24-16, but Northern rallied to cut the score to 24-21. Forgach Aguilar ended the first match of the season with a kill.
STAT RECAP
Forgach Aguilar led the contest with 20 kills with a .220 attack percentage. Carpena had nine and Boyce added eight at a clip of .368. The Warriors hit .198 as a team.
Scott led the setters with 19 assists and Kailiponi dished out 17. LC State dealt six service aces with two each by Kailiponi and Stout.
The Warrior defense put up eight total blocks with four block assists by Beaton. Scott had three assists and a solo, while Carpena and Stewart each added three block assists. Ella Stosich anchored the back row with career-high 13 digs and Stout collected 11.
UP NEXT
The Warriors host the Hells Canyon Grand Invitational Aug. 29-30 in the P1FCU Activity Center. LC State will take on Arizona Christian on Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. and Montana Western on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.