LEWISTON, ID – LC State Volleyball continued its strong start to the season with its seventh consecutive win on Saturday in a 3-0 sweep (25-8, 25-18, 25-9) of Warner Pacific (Ore.). The Warriors dominated from the service line with 13 aces as a team, led by five from Ashlyn Watt.
LC State ran an efficient offense with a .314 attack percentage which was highlighted by 10 kills at a clip of .563 by Juliauna Forgach Aguilar. Eight different Warriors tallied at least one kill in the contest.
“Our setters did a tremendous job distributing the ball tonight and making sure all of our attackers were involved in the offense,” coach Katie Palmer said. “That balance really allows us to keep pressure on opponents. I really liked how clean we played in sets one and three, which showed our focus and execution. Ashlyn Watt was outstanding at the service line and gave us some big momentum swings, and I love that we’re continuing to see different players step up and showcase their growth each match.”
The victory moves the Warriors to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Warriors allowed just eight points in the first set. Aces by Ella Stosich, Makenzie Stout and Watt, coupled with kills by Abby Beaton and Teagan Scott, gave LC State a quick 10-3 advantage. Taylor Boyce, Karissa Lindner, Forgach Aguilar and Beaton combined for seven kills in an 11-2 run and Esther Kailiponi ended the first frame with back-to-back service aces.
The Knights found momentum in the second set and were within one at 6-5. A pair of aces by Watt fueled a seven-point rally that featured kills by Forgach Aguilar, Jordynn Albright and Boyce, as well as a block by Albright and Lindner, for a 13-5 lead. WPU answered to cut the lead to 18-17, but LC State responded with a 7-1 run to end the set.
The Warriors remained in control in the third frame and allowed nine points to end the match. Swings by Lindner, Beaton and Albright made it a 5-3 margin and an ace by Forgach Aguilar helped the lead to 8-3. Watt dealt back-to-back aces as part of the six-point run and kills by freshmen Albright and Mikale Roy made it 17-6. LC State ended the match on an 8-1 stretch with kills by Forgach Aguilar, Alba Carpena, Lindner and an ace by Stosich.
STAT RECAP
LC State combined for 13 service aces led by five from Watt. Stosich served four, Kailiponi had two and Forgach Aguilar and Stout each served one.
Forgach Aguilar led the match with 10 kills on a .563 attack percentage. Beaton (.273) and Boyce (.300) each added five. Scott dished out 19 assists and Kailiponi had seven.
Stosich led the Warrior with eight digs and Forgach Aguilar collected six.
The Warriors hit .314 as a team and held Warner Pacific to -.130.
Josie Schultz led the Knights with four kills at a clip of .333 and Pa’oakalani Payne-Kaeo had seven assists. Angel Camagay collected eight digs to tie for the match high.
UP NEXT
LC State hits the road for its first true road trip of the season next weekend to continue Cascade Conference play. The Warriors will face The Evergreen State College (Wash.) in Olympia on Friday before (RV) Northwest (Wash.) on Saturday in Kirkland.