LEWISTON, Idaho – Senior outside hitter Kennadie Clute tallied double-digit kills for the 27th-consecutive game and 43rd overall, passing Kelli Tikker for seventh in program history, but it wasn't enough for Lewis-Clark State College volleyball in a four set loss to the University of Great Falls on Friday night.
 
It's the first time the Warriors have lost back-to-back home contests since 2006. The loss drops the Warriors to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in Frontier Conference action. The Argonauts improve to 8-10 this season and 2-3 in the conference.  
 
Lewis-Clark State looked dominant in the first set, tallying five blocks and hitting .393 with 13 kills in 28 attempts with just two errors. Seven different Warriors tallied a kill in the set led by Justine Cota's three. Maya Williamson was big at the net, tallying four blocks (1 solo, 3 assists) and Shaelyn Pearson and Amber Hillestad each collected four assists en route to a 25-16 win.
 
The Warriors jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opening set, but the Argonauts pushed back, scoring six straight points to tie the game. LCSC put their foot down, scoring 13-of-17 points to take a commanding 22-13 lead. Three side-outs later and Clute hammered home the game winner.
 
"I loved how we came out the first set," said Warriors Head Coach LaToya Harris-Alexander. "There was a lot of fire and we were attacking, not just offensively but with our blocks. Our defense was extremely disciplined and the win was there."
 
Things took a bad turn in the second set as the Warriors hit just .208 while UGF hit .357 on their way to a 25-16 win. The visitors led early, 16-9, but LCSC got six straight points, including a pair of Williamson-Clute blocks, to cut the deficit to two. The Argonauts responded with a 9-2 run to even the match at 1-1.
 
Set three was a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 ties and five lead changes. Great Falls hit .278 to the Warriors .176 in the set and took advantage of untimely LC errors for the 25-19 win. A UGF error cut the margin to one at 19-18, but UGF got three kills, an ace and pair of LCSC attack errors to close on a 6-1 scoring run.
 
The final set was close early on, but LCSC struggled to find an offensive rhythm, hitting just .103 in the deciding game. LCSC trailed by just two points, 10-8, but six-of-seven points went the way of the visitors and the Warriors tailed 16-9. A few scoring runs helped get the deficit down to four points twice, but the Argos offense was too much in a 25-20 loss.
 
"After the first set I think my team was pretty shocked that we were being challenged back. It's the game of volleyball and we started playing out of our element and with some fear. That's not the character of my team and it's something we need to fight out of. I think we can get out of it, just need to be more consistent," stated Harris-Alexander.
 
Clute finished with a match-high 15 kills to go with five blocks. Justine Cota led the team with a .375 attack percentage while Williamson added nine kills and seven total blocks. Jordan Phelan finished with a team-high 10 digs while Hillestad paced the setters with 19 assists.
 
"Maya is a special person," said Harris-Alexander. "She is mentally tough so nothing affects her. I'm very pleased with her performance, she couldn't have given more than she has already. She's turning into the player I knew she could become."
 
Madison Wilhelm paced UGF with 14 kills and 16 digs.
 
The Warriors will look to end their four-game losing streak, the longest since 2013, when they welcome Montana State University – Northern to the Activity Center on Saturday, Oct. 1. The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. and is sponsored by Kendall of Lewiston. It's also canned food day – bring two cans of food and receive free admission into the match.