LEWISTON, Idaho – The Northwest University Eagles came to play on Saturday night in the P1FCU Activity Center and left with a 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-12) victory over the LC State Warriors.
Esther Kailiponi opened the match with a service ace, one of 11 for the Warriors, and three Northwest errors evened the set 4-4. A kill by
Grecia Ung Enriquez put LC in front 5-4, but an Eagle rally put the Warriors behind 10-6.
The NU lead grew to 14-9, but a 6-2 run by LC State brought the Warriors within one. Kills by
Cassidy Nelson,
Juliauna Forgach Aguilar and
Carli Berntson, an ace by Kailiponi and a block by
Jada Wyms fueled the stretch. LC State rattled off seven straight with kills by Berntson,
Kendzee Cloward and Ung Enriquez, followed by a service ace by
Kenzie Dean, to take a commanding 21-16 lead.
A pair of kills by Ung Enriquez and an ace by
Jennah Carpenter closed out the set 25-18.
Northwest turned the tables in the second frame to take control of the match. Kills by Nelson and Ung Enriquez gave the Warriors an early 4-2 edge, and back-to-back swings by Forgach Aguilar and Nelson made it 7-6. Wyms and Forgach Aguilar combined for three straight LC points to push the Warriors ahead 12-10, but multiple NU rallies evened the match 1-1.
The Warriors jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the third with a kill by
Lisi Langi and ace by Ung Enriquez, and a 3-1 stretch with kills by Nelson, Langi and Wyms made it 10-7. An ace by Ung Enriquez pushed the margin to 17-14, but NU stormed back with seven straight to gain a 21-17 advantage. Wyms, Langi and Nelson combined for two blocks before a kill by Berntson brought LC within two, 24-22, but the Eagles ended the set a point later.
Two kills by Nelson and an ace by Dean put the Warriors in front 6-5, but Northwest gained momentum to surge ahead and close out the match in four sets.
"I was wondering how long we could go before our injuries would hold us back and I guess the answer to that is five weeks," Head Coach
Shaun Pohlman said. "I thought we were going to get to the other side of it, but with two starters being out this week and a possible third from this match, our dexterity went to almost nothing so when we are stuck in a rotation we have no options.
"Our players are frustrated, the coaches are frustrated, but it is out of our control," Pohlman continued. "This is our current reality so we are going to dig deep, get creative, and ultimately, we are going to need people to step up to the challenge of being shorthanded."
Ung Enriquez led the match with 14 kills and Kailiponi dealt 20 assists. Dean collected 19 digs and Wyms put up six blocks. Kailiponi, Dean and Ung Enriquez each served three aces.
Northwest's Abi Broussard led the Eagles with 12 kills and Karste Wright tallied 11. Anna Saelens dealt 38 assists and Kylie Lunday had six blocks. Kelsey Moore led the defense with 14 digs and Ellie Van Berkum collected 12.
UP NEXT
The Warriors hit the road next weekend for matches at Mutlnomah and Warner Pacific. LC State returns home Sept. 30 to take on RV Bushnell.
Stay up to date on all things Warrior Athletics at
lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
