LEWISTON, Idaho. – On a night in which the Lewis-Clark State College volleyball team said goodbye to three seniors, it was only fitting that the trio play a major role in the 3-1 (25-17, 26-24, 27-25, 25-23) victory over the University of Montana Western on Thursday.
 
The win moves the Warriors to 8-12 on the season and 3-7 in conference play while the Bulldogs fall to 11-12 overall and 4-5 in the Frontier Conference.
 
Seniors Kennadie Clute and Stephanie Ovitz powered the offense with the former tallying 17 kills, her 49th double-digit kill match in her two seasons at LC, while the latter hit .357 and tallied 14 kills. Senior setter Amber Hillestad helped fuel the hitters with 30 assists.
 
"These three young ladies are something special," said Warriors Head Coach LaToya Harris-Alexander. "This team has grown really close this year and has become a family. I've really gotten to know them and it's hard to see them leave. It was great to see them play the way they did and for us to get this win it's what they deserve."
 
Other players stepped up to help the trio including Rachel Gregg who collected 13 kills and a team-high 16 digs while Maya Williamson hit a team-best .364 with 10 kills.
 
Set one was a close game until it was Clute's turn to serve. As was the case most of the night, the 5-foot-10 outside hitter followed a kill with three consecutive service points, including an ace, to push the LC advantage to seven, 17-10. The Bulldogs responded with a three-point burst, but the Warriors shut the door, scoring eight of the final 12 points for a 25-17 win.
 
In the second set, a four point LCSC run put the Warriors in front 6-3, but Montana Western scored 10 of the next 12 points to go up 14-8. Lewis-Clark State kept it close and Clute again served life into the Warriors. Down 20-15, an Ovitz kill gave Clute the service and she served five straight points to put LC ahead 21-20. After the Bulldogs took a brief lead, 22-21, the Warriors scored five of the final seven points, punctuated by back-to-back kills by Ovitz and Clute, for a 26-24 win.
 
"She serves well in practice, it's just a matter of trusting it in the match," said Harris-Alexander of Clute's service prowess. "Tonight she was able to let loose and it showed, she took them out of their offense and we were able to capitalize."
 
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that saw neither team lead by more than three points. After trading several side outs late in the game, the Warriors strung together a three-point run, ending in a Clute kill, to tie the set at 21. Three consecutive Western points put LC on the brink of a loss, but a Clute kill put the Spokane, Wash. back on the service line and her aggressive serve led to three straight Gregg kills and match point for LC. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs scored the final three points for a 27-25 win.
 
Montana Western opened the final set with a 5-1 run and pushed the margin to five, 10-5, before the Warriors fought back. LCSC won 10 of the next 13 points to go ahead 15-13, getting multiple kills from Clute and Gregg. A 5-2 run by Western gave the visitors a one-point margin but two errors and an Aly Sauer kill put the Red and Blue back ahead, 20-18. The teams traded points, tying at 20, 21, 22 and 23 before Katie Barton and Williamson tallied kills to seal the senior night victory.
 
As a team, Lewis-Clark State outhit Montana Western .252 to .178 and tallied 66 kills to just 44 for the Bulldogs. The Warriors also collected 55 digs to 52 for the visitors while both teams posted seven blocks.
 
"I saw a lot of fire from our team tonight," said Harris-Alexander. "We've talked in practice about what we need to do to become a better team and we were better tonight. The offense played faster, we had solid connections and we never gave up. We need to learn to relax a little more when it's close and just play, but it was a win and I'm happy we could do it for our seniors."
 
The Warriors wrap up the regular season with a pair of conference road contests next weekend. LC travels to Havre, Mont. on Friday, Nov. 4 to face MSU-Northern before visiting Great Falls on Saturday, Nov. 5.