LEWISTON, Idaho – Juliauna Forgach Aguilar topped her previous career-high in kills by 11 with a match-leading 23 on Saturday, but it was Montana Western that came out ahead in a close contest. The Bulldogs took the match in four sets (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23), despite standout efforts by LC State returners.
Forgach Aguilar's 23 kills came at a .327 attack percentage, and fifth-year senior libero Kenzie Dean collected 26 digs. Freshman Gianna Anderson notched the first double-digit kill performance of her career with 10 and fellow first-year Makenzie Stout had 11 digs.
"Today we saw a glimpse of what this program is all about," Head Coach Katie Palmer said. "Our senior libero showed poise keeping us in system and digging a very offensive Montana Western. Jules had a career-high kills and continued to find ways to score even in the midst of adversity. We trust our training and believe. Unfortunately, we let some leads slip in sets two and three, but that will happen while we're still learning how to play together."
LC State is now 1-1 on the season ahead of the team's trip to Arizona next weekend. The Warriors will play four matches, including a rematch with UMW.
"I'm proud of the fight demonstrated throughout the entire match and looking forward to seeing Montana Western again as we travel down to Arizona," Palmer added. "It's going to be a challenging weekend with a lot of volleyball. We need to rest and sharpen our tools before we hit the road."
LC State gained an early advantage with a victory in the first set. A pair of kills and an ace by Forgach Aguilar had the Warriors up 5-3 before back-to-back kills by Anderson and Anna Merrill made it 7-4. UMW evened the contest 8-8 before a sneaky kill by setter Sofie Langer put LC State back in front.
Forgach Aguilar and Merrill teamed up for a string of three kills to keep the lead with LC, but another run by the Bulldogs knotted the score 15-15. The Warriors gained momentum after a kill by Anderson sparked a 6-1 rally. Kills by Hallie Seaman and Forgach Aguilar, as well as a block by Forgach Aguilar and Langer, had the Warriors ahead 21-16. UMW rallied to another tie, 22-22, but two swings by Forgach Aguilar and a block by Katie Rainville and Merrill ended the set 25-22.
The second frame was a back-and-forth battle until the Warriors rattled off four straight points with kills by Forgach Aguilar and Langer to go with an ace by Dean to make it 12-7. An ace by Ashlee Bachman pushed the margin to 17-10, but the Bulldogs rallied to erase the margin at 19-19. UMW carried the momentum to a 25-23 set win.
Kills by Kierstyn York and Forgach Aguilar got LC State to a 3-1 lead in the third before Western surged ahead 9-5. The Warriors responded with a run of eight straight on kills by Forgach Aguilar, Merrill, Seaman and Anderson to regain the lead at 13-9, but rallies by UMW brought the score to a 20-20 tie. The Bulldogs closed out the tight set 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead.
The fourth set was played in similar fashion as another back-and-forth battle ensued. Kills by Merrill and Anderson kept LC within two, 7-5, before three straight UMW errors tied the set 11-11. Montana Western rebounded to pull ahead 18-14 before more errors brought LC within one at 21-20. A kill by Forgach Aguilar tied things up 22-22, but the Bulldogs bounced back to take the set 25-23.
Forgach Aguilar's career-high 23 kills led the match, as did her three service aces. Anderson tallied 10 kills and Merrill had eight. Abbey Neff and Langer combined for 43 assists, led by Neff with 22.
Dean led the contest with 26 digs, Stout tallied 11 and Natany Felix Guimaraes had nine.
The Warriors head to Surprise, Ariz., next weekend for the OUAZ Invitational hosted by Ottawa (Ariz.). LC State will take on OUAZ, Montana Western, Arizona Christian and MSU-Northern before returning home to host Northwest and Evergreen State Sept. 1-2.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.