CALDWELL, Idaho – The No. 11 Warrior Volleyball team pushed No. 4 College of Idaho to the edge but fell just short of a reverse sweep in a five-set loss in Caldwell on Saturday. LC State battled throughout the match and forced extra points in the deciding frame before the Yotes took the contest with set scores of 25-18, 25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 17-15.
Addison Wilson put on a show at the net with a career-high nine blocks, and
Taylor Boyce was an offensive force with 20 kills.
The loss has LC State at 11-3 on the season and 5-3 in Cascade Conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Yotes had momentum early and jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the first frame. Kills by Boyce,
Hadyn Smith and
Aubree Lane provided offense for the Warriors and an ace by
Ashlyn Watt had the deficit at 22-16. C of I closed out the first set 25-18.
The first three LC State points in the second frame came via Boyce kills, but College of Idaho responded to pull in front 9-4. C of I maintained the margin but kills by Lane and Smith and a block by Smith and Wilson had the Warriors within three, 20-17. A block by Wilson and Boyce had the difference to two, 22-20, but the Yotes edged LC in the set 25-21.
The Warriors turned things around in the next two sets. Despite a 6-2 run by C of I to start the third frame, kills by Boyce, Lane and
Karissa Lindner brought the deficit to 8-7. Trailing 11-8, a kill by Smith sparked a seven-point run with contributions from Wilson,
Ella Stosich and Boyce to put LC State in front 15-11. A swing by Boyce and block by
Alba Carpena and Wilson kept the lead at 18-13, and a kill by Lindner and ace by
Makenzie Stout put the Warriors firmly in control. After a swing by Boyce, freshmen Smith and Wilson teamed up for a block to end the frame 25-18.
Boyce and Wilson each tallied a kill before the pair teamed up on a block to tie the fourth set 4-4. C of I took a 9-8 lead during a back-and-forth, but an ace by Stosich and kill by Smith fueled a five-point rally to give LC a 13-9 advantage. A kill by Wilson and aces by Watt had the lead at 18-13, and Yote errors pushed the score to 21-15. LC State took the frame 25-22 behind kills from Boyce, Smith and
Mikale Roy.
The fifth set was one for the ages and forced the match into extra points. Kills by Boyce and block by Smith, Wilson, Carpena and Boyce had the lead changing hands. Lane notched a kill before a block assist with Lindner at a 9-7 deficit, and a block by Boyce tied things up 11-11. Two more kills from Boyce helped put the Warriors in front 15-14, but the Yotes struck for three straight to end the contest with a 17-15 set win.
STAT RECAP
Boyce had a career night with 23 points on 20 kills, four block assists and a solo block. She hit .289 in the match. Lane and Smith each added nine kills.
Wilson put up a career-best nine block assists to go with six kills, and Smith added four block assists. Scott led the setters with 30 assists and collected nine digs, and Focht dished out 15 assists.
Stosich led the back row with 11 digs and served three aces. Watt also dealt three aces in the match and Stout had two with eight digs.
The Warriors outdid their opponent in blocks (12-3) and aces (9-6), but C of I held the edge in points at 78-72.
UP NEXT
The Warriors return home next weekend for Fall Frenzy & Family Weekend to take on (RV) Bushnell (Ore.) and No. 6 Corban (Ore.).
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
