Women's Volleyball | 11.10.2022

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Warrior Volleyball clinched a spot in the Cascade Conference Volleyball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, for the second year in a row and will open postseason play on Friday morning. LC State will take on third-seeded (RV) Southern Oregon at 9 a.m.
 
"This conference is the toughest it has ever been," Head Coach Shaun Pohlman said. "The fact we were able to make the tournament is such a huge accomplishment for our program."
 
THE WARRIORS – 16-11, 12-10 – No. 6 SEED
LC State Volleyball put together a strong season and had runs that showed off the program's bright future. The Warriors enjoyed multiple upset wins, including a 3-1 victory over then-No. 23 SOU in Lewiston.
 
The Warrior women hit their stride midway through the season with a 6-1 stretch. The most impressive victories came with a victory over then-receiving votes Bushnell, a near-upset of No. 4 Corban and the victory over SOU. Sophomore Grecia Ung Enriquez led the Warriors in each match with an average of 3.46 kills per set.
 
LC State is second in the CCC in service aces (207) and services aces per set (1.99). Cassidy Nelson leads the conference in aces with 52 and aces per set at 0.52. Ung Enriquez is second in aces per set (0.47).
 
Ung Enriquez has been a steady offensive force for the Warriors all season and leads the team in kills (310), kills per set (3.37) and points per set (3.96). The outside hitter from Sonora, Mexico, is known for her top-spin serves and big swings at the net.
 
Libero Kenzie Dean has anchored the Warrior back row throughout the last three seasons and now sits eighth all-time in career digs with 1,263. The senior, who plans to return for her Covid year, has amassed 415 digs this season with a career-high 33 service aces.
 
Aces have been a strong point for LC State this season with senior Nelson leading the charge. The Warriors have the top two producers of service aces in the CCC and have dealt 207 as a team. On top of Nelson and Ung Enriquez' totals, Dean has tallied 33, Esther Kailiponi has 23, Jennah Carpenter has 20 and Ashlee Bachman has 13.
 
The setter position was a bit of a question mark entering the season after LC State lost both setters from the previous season. Freshman Kailiponi and sophomore Carpenter stepped into bigger roles than they could have imagined when the teams reported, but the results have been positive. As a true freshman, Kailiponi leads the team in assists (505) and assists per set (5.10), and Carpenter has amassed 407 (4.63 per set).
 
Jada Wyms is nothing short of showstopping at the net with her impressive vertical and powerful swings. The senior middle blocker leads LC with 96 blocks this season to go with 150 kills. Transfer senior Lisi Langi is second on the team with 64 blocks, and senior Channa Hart has put up 50 blocks.
 
THE (RV) RAIDERS – 20-9, 14-8 – No. 3 SEED
A perennial powerhouse, SOU bounced back after a difficult 2021 season to regain a spot in the top 25 for most of the 2022 season. The Raiders' 20-9 record is impressive, but also deceiving. Two of the losses came via forfeits due to Covid protocols.
 
SOU has been led offensively by the 2021 CCC Freshman of the Year Hailey Van Well. The sophomore has tallied 299 kills this season for 3.25 per set. Kayla Neidigh leads the Raiders in both service aces (27) and digs (357).
 
Hannah Randall and Gwen Sheldon have split setter duties for SOU, with Randall leading the tally with 482 assists. Sheldon has chipped in 344. At the net, Sadie Byrd is the team's leading blocker with 119 total, with 105 being block assists. Carol Melo has 88 blocks on the season.
 
The Raiders are second in the CCC in blocks (223.5) and blocks per set (2.30).
 
THE MATCHUP
The two teams split the regular-season series, with SOU taking the first matchup in Ashland 3-0. The Raiders shut down the LC offense and held the Warriors to a .088 attack percentage. Van Well led with match with 14 kills at a .423 clip.
 
LC State turned the tables in the contest in Lewiston. The Warriors turned in their third-highest attack percentage of the season at .297, led by Hart at .556 on five kills. Langi hit .440 with her 13 kills to tie Ung Enriquez for the match-high. Nelson added 12 kills to the LC total.
 
The Warriors dealt 11 service aces in the match, led by three each from Bachman, Ung Enriquez and Nelson. Kailiponi dished out 22 assists and Tomic added 21. Dean was solid in the back with 21 digs and Hart put up a wall at the net with six blocks.
 
"Whether we split, swept or got swept during the regular season, it doesn't matter because our conference has proven there is no guarantee," Pohlman said. "So, if we were the third seed, we would feel the same as the sixth seed or fourth or any seed. We need to execute the opportunities given to us and we are excited about the opportunity to play in the postseason."
 
THE DETAILS
The Warriors and Raiders will go head-to-head on Friday morning with a 9 a.m. first serve. The winner of the match will play later in the day, and if LC wins the Warriors will take on top-seed and host No. 1 Eastern Oregon.
 
"If anything, I feel it could be to our advantage (to possibly play twice on Friday) because we get the chance to break the ice in postseason and work out the nerves in the first match," Pohlman explained. "The first and second seeds have to sit and wait and that can be a bit more daunting to have to come out cold against a team that already has a win under its belt in the postseason.
 
"We have to play one opponent at a time," Pohlman continued. "SOU is a very strong team that is extremely well-coached. They are the immediate threat to end our season and the one we need to put our eyes and focus on. Luckily, there is enough time between the quarterfinals and semifinals for all teams to prep for the next opponent."
 
The match will be streamed and live stats will be available.
 
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