NU Splits on Day One of LCSC Invitational
LEWISTON, Idaho – The NU Eagles earned a split on day one of the Red Lion Invitational hosted by Lewis-Clark State College. Northwest U swept St. Francis in a 2 p.m. match and then found themselves swept in the nightcap against tourney host, No. 23 ranked Lewis-Clark State.
Match 1 - NU 3, St. Francis 0
NU used a balanced attack to sweep the University of St. Francis of Fort Wayne, Ind., 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-21), this afternoon in their opening match of the Red Lion Invitational.
Northwest U (2-1) got 9 kills each from Hannah Hanson and Mattie Jo Johnson while teammate Hannah Hanson added 7 kills for the Eagles. Johnson also hit .529 for the match to lead NU. The Eagles would break out early in their first two sets, leading 20-8 in the first set and 16-8 in the second as they would cruise to the victories.
The final set would be a different story as St. Francis would force seven ties during the set and leading briefly at 16-15. With Northwest U leading 20-17, the Eagles would outscore the Cougars 5-4 for the set and match victory.
St. Francis (2-4) was led by sisters Sara and Carrie Clark, who finished with six kills each. Chloe Hubner had a team high 24 assists and teammate Rachel Weaver had 16 digs.
Morgan Pilon led Northwest U with a match high 32 assists while freshman Emmaline Stockton had a team high 15 defensive digs. Amanda Waterman contributed 12 digs and Leia Roy added 11 digs for the Eagles.
“We were very good in serve and receive and that kept us in the system and allowed us to establish our middles and side out at a high percentage,” said NU head coach, Steve Bain. “We were also solid at the service line as well. Overall, a solid early season effort.”
Match 2 – Lewis-Clark State 3, NU 0
LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State showed they were worthy of their NAIA Top 25 ranking as they swept Northwest University, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-12) in the final match of day one at the Red Lion Invitational.
Lewis-Clark State (2-3) got 15 kills each from Doyle Treneisha and Kennadie Clute as the No. 23 Warriors hit an impressive .429 as a team with Stephanie Ovitz leading the way with four kills and a .800 hitting percentage. Darby Santos led LCSC with a match high 34 assists with Russia Robinson registering 19 digs.
Northwest U (2-2) was led by Amanda Waterman’s 8 kills as the Eagles were held to a .100 team hitting percentage for the three sets. Mattie Jo Johnson led the Eagles hitting .667 with six kills. Emmaline Stockton had 11 digs and Morgan Pilon contributed 17 assists.
Said Coch Steve Bain following the match, "Lewis-Clark controlled the match from start to finish tonight. They are a talented team and when they are in their system, they can overwhelm you with their firepower which is clearly what they did to us. I expect this group to learn from the experience, though, and bounce back strong the next time they take the court."
Northwest U gets started very early tomorrow morning when they face Montana Western at 8 a.m. in the LCSC Activity Center.