LEWISTON, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State volleyball team sent its four seniors off in style with a thrilling 27-25, 16-25, 25-14, 25-23 victory over the University of Providence Saturday afternoon before an enthusiastic crowd at the Activity Center.
 
The Warriors, who finish the regular season at 11-13 and head into next week's Frontier Conference tournament as the fifth seed, displayed a balance and grit that hasn't always been evident this fall. Four Warriors had double-digit kill matches and three had double-digit dig efforts.
 
Natalie Batiste and Aly Sauer, in their final matches at the Activity Center, had 12 kills each. Justine Cota Culp, also a senior, and the ever-consistent Rachel Gregg had 11 each. Gregg led the defensive effort with 20 digs, while Lauren West had 15 and Luana Thompson had 14. Maya Williamson, the Warriors' fourth senior, had eight kills.
 
For the Warriors' balanced attack, coach LaToya Harris-Alexander pointed to West, who had 41 assists.
 
"It starts with the pass," she said. "Lauren is outstanding with delivering the ball perfectly. Once that happens, we can run whatever we want to offensively."
 
While there was a dip in the level of execution in the second set, the Warriors found their way back for the final two.
 
"They came back and fought," Harris-Alexander said. "They fought hard the rest of the way and they didn't give up. It was just them deciding to do it. I'm proud of them."
 
The Warriors won their final four matches of the regular season to finish 5-7 in league play (No. 5), while Providence finishes 20-8 overall and 6-6 in league play to finish fourth. They'll play again Friday in the opening round of the tournament.