COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. – LC State Volleyball is off to its best start to a season since 2010 at 6-0 with Tuesday's 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21) victory over a talented Walla Walla (Wash.) team. Both teams were 2-0 in Cascade Conference play and it was the Warriors that emerged with a 3-0 record in the best conference in the NAIA.
"That was a tough battle, and I am proud of how our team responded throughout the entire match," coach Katie Palmer said. "Our middle attack really set the tone tonight with Karissa (Lindner) hitting at a high efficiency. That kind of performance doesn't happen without the grit of our serve receive line and the confidence we have in every player on the court. This win was a complete team effort."
The victory snapped a four-match win streak for Walla Walla, a team that swept both No. 19 Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech last weekend.
NAIA Defender of the Week
Karissa Lindner assisted on 10 blocks in the contest and hit .500 with seven kills and no errors.
Juliauna Forgach Aguilar and
Taylor Boyce combined for 24 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Walla Walla was in control early with a 5-1 lead in the first set. The Wolves pushed the difference to 8-4 before blocks by Forgach Aguilar,
Abby Beaton and Boyce cut the difference to two, 8-6. Down 10-7, the Warriors went on a 4-0 run with tallies from Lindner,
Teagan Scott and Boyce to take an 11-10 lead.
A block by Lindner and Forgach Aguilar and ace by
Kadence Moore had the advantage at 14-12, but WWU surged to pull ahead 19-16. LC State matched the Wolves 19-19 with kills by Beaton and Boyce and an ace by
Hannah Dotson, and another run of three with contributions by Beaton, Lindner, Scott and Boyce made it 22-21. An ace by
Esther Kailiponi had the score at set point, 24-22, but Walla Walla rallied for four straight to take the frame 26-24.
The beginning of the second set was back-and-forth until kills by Forgach Aguilar and Boyce combined for a run of three to give LC State a 6-3 edge. Kills by Boyce and Scott and WWU errors grew the difference to 10-5, but the Wolves answered with a six-point run to pull in front 11-10.
Another back-and-forth ensued before Lindner tallied a kill and assisted on a block with Forgach Aguilar to give the Warriors a three-point margin at 23-20. A kill by Forgach Aguilar and WWU error evened the contest with a 25-22 set win.
Walla Walla pulled ahead 6-3 in the third frame and the Warriors answered with a run of three on a kill by Scott, ace by Dotson and block by Beaton and Boyce to tie things up 6-6. The teams traded short runs to keep the score close. A 6-2 run with three kills by Lindner and one by Beaton put LC State in front 2-1 with a 25-22 win in the set.
After the Wolves scored three times to start the fourth frame, the Warriors responded with four on a block by
Jordynn Albright and Beaton and kills by Forgach Aguilar to take a 4-3 edge. WWU pulled ahead 14-10, but a 5-1 run by LC State evened things up 15-15. Boyce sparked a stretch of four with kills and an ace by
Ashlyn Watt helped the Warriors claim a 20-18 advantage.
The Wolves pulled within one, 20-19, but a kill by Boyce fueled a rally that grew the margin to 23-19 and forced a WWU timeout. Boyce added one more kill before a Walla Walla error ended the set 25-21 to seal the Warrior victory.
STAT RECAP
Forgach Aguilar and Boyce notched 12 kills each and Beaton added eight with a .286 attack percentage. Linder hit at a clip of .500 with her seven kills to go with 10 blocks. Forgach Aguilar assisted at the net with six blocks and Beaton contributed on five.
Scott dished out 33 assists with nine digs, four kills and three blocks. Moore and Dotson each had two service aces.
Ella Stosich anchored the back row with 17 digs and Dotson added 13.
The Warriors outblocked WWU 17-5 as a team and held the Wolves to a .120 attack percentage.
UP NEXT
LC State returns home this weekend to host Warner Pacific (Ore.) to continue Cascade Conference play. The Warriors take on the Knights on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the P1FCU Activity Center.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
