Women's Volleyball | 08.19.2026

LEWISTON, Idaho – LC State Volleyball takes the court for the 2026 season opener on Thursday in Montana when the Warriors compete at the Big Sky Challenge in Butte. The experienced Lewis-Clark State squad returns multiple All-Cascade Conference selections as the Warriors get set to compete in the most talented conference in the NAIA, led by fourth-year head coach and Warrior alum Katie Palmer.
 
Last season LC State completed a historic campaign that saw the Warriors return to the national tournament for the first time since 2011. Led by NAIA All-American Juliauna Forgach Aguilar, LC State advanced to the final site of the national tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. The outside hitter has since taken her talents overseas to Germany as the first Warrior under Palmer to advance to the professional ranks. 
 
LC State enters the season as one of six CCC teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 at No. 23. The Warriors were picked to finish fifth in a stacked Cascade Conference that features No. 2 Eastern Oregon, No. 5 Corban (Ore.), No. 18 College of Idaho, No. 19 Bushnell (Ore.) and No. 22 Southern Oregon. LC State will also face No. 6 Providence (Mont.) on the trip to Montana.
 
"To see six Cascade Conference teams represented in the national preseason poll speaks volumes about the level of volleyball being played in our conference," Palmer said. "As a former NAIA student-athlete and now a coach, I have an immense amount of respect for how collegiate volleyball continues to evolve. The athletes are jumping higher, the ball's velocity is faster, the game is more athletic and more creative, and coaches across the country are building incredibly talented teams. NAIA volleyball is outstanding, and we'll have to play with passion and poise every time we step on the court."
 
LC State will face Williams Baptist (Ark.), IU East (Ind.), Carroll (Mont.) and Providence at the Big Sky Challenge Aug. 20-21. The Warriors open the home portion of the schedule with the Hells Canyon Grand Invitational Aug. 28-29 when they face MSU-Northern for a pair of matches. CCC play kicks off Sept. 4 with a trip to Southern Oregon.
 
A strong foundation returns for the Warriors as well as a talented group of four newcomers. LC State had a program-record four All-CCC selections last season in Forgach Aguilar, middle blocker Karissa Lindner, libero Ella Stosich and setter Teagan Scott. Lindner is back as one of the top blockers in the Cascade Conference and ranks in the top 10 all-time at LC State in the category with 272. She joins the senior class that includes Makenzie Stout, Kadence Moore and Ashlyn Watt.
 
Stout, Moore and Watt join Stosich and Hannah Watson as part of the team's "bomb squad" that defends the back rows and put together strong performances at the service line last season. The group accounted for nearly 80% of the team's 161 service aces last season. Stosich led in both aces (36) and digs (442) and was the top defensive player in the conference with 4.51 digs per set.
 
Scott led the Cascade in assists per set in 2025 with 8.20 and joins fellow junior Taylor Boyce as one of the key players to watch this season in the CCC. Boyce is the top returning pin hitter for the Warriors after she averaged 3.21 kills per set last year.
 
"We're excited to return three of our four All-Cascade Conference honorees, and that experience gives us a strong foundation heading into this season," Palmer said. "What feels different about this team is our depth and trust in our entire roster. Competing in what we believe is the toughest conference in the country demands that depth, and we're excited to rely on all our Warriors as we navigate the season."
 
One key piece to that depth could be sophomore Mikale Roy. The outside hitter took the national tournament by storm when the then-freshman exploded for 21 kills in a five-set victory over Aquinas (Mich.) in the season finale. She tallied a team-high 13 kills in an exhibition match at NCAA Division I Montana on Tuesday.
 
LC State added three freshmen and a transfer to the 2026 roster. First-year student-athletes Hadyn Smith, Addison Wilson and Sammi Humphrey add depth throughout the lineup, as does Spokane Falls CC product Aubree Lane.
 
In all, LC State returns 15 players from the 2025 roster. The Warriors earned a taste of postseason success last season, and the veteran group now knows what it takes to compete at the highest level.
 
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.