PORTLAND, Ore. – Kenzie Dean put together one of the most impressive defensive performances by a Warrior in nearly 15 years in LC State Volleyball's 3-1 (25-17, 25-13, 18-25, 25-16) over Warner Pacific on Saturday.
"Glad we could get a couple wins under our belts while being severely shorthanded with injuries," Head Coach Shaun Pohlman said. "We had no subs for our pin hitters this weekend, so it was great seeing the team grit it out and find a way to put two in the win column."
Dean collected 38 digs, the most by a Warrior in a four-set match and third-most in any match.
"Kenzie has worked very hard the last four years," Pohlman said. "She wants the most for this program and strives daily to grow and improve it. Huge kudos to her."
The Knights jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead before a WPU attack error put the Warriors on the board. Cassidy Nelson followed with an ace before adding a kill to even the score. Another ace by the senior made it a four-point stretch to give LC State its first lead of the contest, and Jada Wyms tallied back-to-back kills to make it six in a row. The seven-point run was capped by a WPU error.
Juliauna Forgach Aguilar, Nelson and Carli Berntson tallied kills as part of a seven-point rally, with an ace by Madison Kammuller in the mix, that grew the lead to 16-7. Berntson snapped a short burst by the Knights with three straight kills before a WPU made it four straight LC State points (20-9). Wyms, Nelson, Forgach Aguilar and Lisi Langi added kills to move the set along before a kill by Berntson closed it out at 25-17.
Berntson and Wyms got the second frame started with kills as the Warriors opened up with a 3-0 run. Wyms, Forgach Aguilar and Seaman tallied kills on consecutive plays to build a short run to grow the lead to 8-3, and a five-point span with a pair of blocks by Wyms and Forgach Aguilar, two aces by Nelson and kill by Wyms made it 18-9.
Back-to-back service aces by Forgach Aguilar fueled the offense and a kill by Langi capped a run of four. Katie Rainville ended the set 25-13 with a kill.
Warner Pacific opened the third frame with a 6-1 run before a kill by Berntson fueled a three-point run to bring LC within two (6-4). Forgach Aguilar slammed a ball down to kickstart a four-point stretch, that featured an ace by Esther Kailiponi, to tie the set 8-8, but WPU rallied to jump in front 15-10.
Nelson and Forgach Aguilar tacked on kills in a four-point span to cut the deficit to 16-14, but the Knights took control with a 5-1 run to make it 21-15. Forgach Aguilar and Jennah Carpenter each tallied a kill to keep the frame alive, but WPU earned the set win by a final of 25-18.
Langi gave LC State its first lead of the fourth set, 5-4, with two kills on consecutive plays, then added another pair to make it 7-5 in favor of the Warriors. Nelson stretched the scoring run to four with back-to-back kills at 9-5.
Dean came up with some stellar digs and Nelson added kills as LC stretched its lead to 14-8. Wyms and Berntson found the floor on two straight swings before Seaman made it three in a row at 18-10. WPU errors pushed the set to a close at 25-16, ending the match 3-1 in favor of the Warriors.
The Warriors were led offensively by Nelson's 14 kills and three aces. Berntson added nine kills, while Forgach Aguilar and Langi each had eight. Carpenter dealt a team-high 25 assists and Kailiponi added 18.
Dean's 38 digs were the statistical highlight of the night, and Kendzee Cloward added 10. LC State hit .201 as a team.
UP NEXT
The Warriors return home next weekend for matches against a pair of teams receiving votes in the national poll. LC State will host RV Bushnell on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on No. 6 Corban on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center.
Stay up to date on all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
