CALDWELL, Idaho – The Lewis-Clark State Volleyball team rallied to take down in-state rival College of Idaho in Caldwell on Friday night. The Warriors earned their first conference victory of the season in four-set fashion (25-21, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17) behind a 19-kill performance from senior Cassidy Nelson. Fellow seniors Tori Edwards and Jada Wyms also had a big nights as the three combined for 43 kills.
 
LC fought back from an 11-4 deficit in the first set to take a 1-0 lead in the match. After dropping the second, the Warriors regained momentum to take the next two sets, including a commanding win in the fourth frame.
 
"I believe the results of tonight's game, specifically the ability to recover from a slow start and dropping a set, are all due to the work we put in both practice adjustments this week and in creating stronger leadership that both the team and the coaches can rely on," Head Coach Shaun Pohlman said. "Last week I really challenged our team to respond and execute, and they did. My hat's off to them."
 
The Warriors trailed by as much as seven in the opening set of the contest before battling back to earn the first victory of the match. LC earned the first point of the night on a C of I attack error, but the Yotes quickly jumped in front with seven straight. Back-to-back kills by Carli Berntson and Nelson snapped the run and got LC State back in the set at a 7-3 deficit.
 
Edwards struck for back-to-back kills to bring the score to 15-11 in favor of C of I, and kept the Warriors within five at 17-12. Jennah Carpenter added to the five-point run with a kill, and an ace by Jess Ruffing brought the Warriors within two. Berntson made it a one-point game before an error by the Yotes evened things 17-17. Big swings by Wyms kept it tied at 18-18 and 19-19, and an error gave the Warriors the lead at 20-19.
 
Hart and Nelson made it the three-point rally with a block at 21-19, and back-to-back kills by Berntson and Edwards pushed the score to set point at 24-20. The Warriors completed the comeback with a kill by Nelson for a 25-21 set victory.
 
Nelson opened the second as she ended the first, with a kill, to give LC the lead. C of I rattled off three points before kills by Berntson and Josie Peters evened the score 3-3. Hannah Martinez and Hart tallied a pair of kills to keep the score knotted before the Yotes took a slim two-point lead.
 
A four-point run by the Warriors tied the set 15-15, but C of I rallied to regain the lead at 20-17. A block by Berntson and Hart, followed by a kill by Nelson, added to a run of three to force a Yote timeout with the Warriors trailing by two at 23-21, but C of I regrouped after the pause to take the set 25-22.
 
The third set opened with three kills by Nelson to give LC an advantage early. The Yotes answered with multiple rallies to take a 10-4 lead.
 
Wyms tallied a kill before putting up a block with Berntson on back-to-back blocks to cut the difference to two at 18-16. LC put up five straight as Nelson added an ace before a C of I error tied the set 18-18. A kill by Berntson was followed by one from Carpenter to keep the set knotted 21-21, and a big block by Hart and Edwards kept it even 22-22. Edwards gave LC the lead at set point, 24-23, and Nelson ended it a point later.
 
The Warriors began the fourth frame with a kill by Edwards and an ace by Peters to jump in front 2-0. Wyms went back-to-back with kills to give the Warriors a 5-3 advantage and Nelson made it a two-point gap with her 16^th kill of the match.
 
A kill by Carpenter kick started a three-point run to give LC a 10-7 lead in the set. Peters stretched the advantage to eight with a big swing to push the Warriors ahead 17-9 as part of an 8-2 run that ended on four-straight LC State points. Edwards and Nelson continued their hot streaks with kills to keep the lead at a commanding 20-11 as the Warriors ran away with the set. A kill by Hart ended the set 25-17 for a 3-1 match victory.
 
Nelson led all players with 19 kills in the match. She completed her double-double with 13 digs, both highs for her in a Warrior uniform. Edwards added 14 kills at a .464 attack percentage, and Wyms tallied 10 kills and three blocks.
 
Martinez and Ruffing orchestrated the offense with 30 and 28 assists, respectively, and Kenzie Dean collected 27 digs. Peters added 13 digs to the defense, and Hart led the Warriors at the net with five blocks.
 
As a team, the Warriors rattled off 64 kills compared to C of I's 50. They held the Yotes to a .192 attack percentage and hit .247 themselves.
 
LC State continues the road swing with a trip to La Grande, Ore. on Saturday. The Warriors will face off with the 14^th-ranked Eastern Oregon Mountaineers at 5 p.m.
 
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