Warriors Wrap up Holiday Inn Express Challenge

Volleyball team splits a pair on Saturday

Lewiston, ID- Lewis-Clark State College played two matches Saturday to wrap up the 2004 Holiday Inn Express Challenge.  Eight total teams participated in this year’s second annual event, with LCSC hosting the two and half day venue.   

Lewis-Clark State entered Saturday afternoons contest having won there first two prior matches.  Up to this point the Warriors had brought a balanced attack to each of there matches, and were hoping to continue this success through there team approach.  “It is difficult to single out one player on this team.  It is a team that is very versatile and takes great pride in the idea of being a team, which is a great situation” stated head coach Jerry Pruitt.

The Warriors picked up where they had left off by registering four different players in double-digit kills.  Leading the way was sophomore Ashli Bever with 14 total.  Sophomore Megan Dohlny, from Moscow, ID, fed her teammates all afternoon, combining a total 41 assists. 

The Warriors went on to beat Concordia (OR) 3-1, and improve there overall record to 3-0 on the year. 

With the win came a couple minor set backs.  Sophomore sensation Marie Lauder, Alberta, CA, went down on the last play of the game with an ankle sprain, forcing her to miss the second match of the day.

Also claiming victim to injury was Senior Amanda Browne, who suffered an abdomen tear in Tuesday afternoon’s win.   

Down two starters heading into the nightcap versus Albertsons College of Idaho, the Warriors were forced to play younger, more inexperienced talent on the floor.  Albertsons defeated LCSC 3-0, but coach Pruitt was impressed with the effort “As we lost player after player to injury, I was so impressed with the way the team would step up, compensate and then compete.”

Though the Warriors lost there final match, coach Pruitt was pleased with this weekends performance “I think the thing that makes me the most optimistic about the weekend is the fact that not only did we win 3 of 4 matches, but we did it with a young, inexperienced squad that is pretty banged up.” 

The Warriors dropped to 3-1 on the year, and are back in action again next weekend in Portland Oregon, playing in a tournament hosted by Concordia University.  The Warriors return home September 18^th, where they open conference play versus Montana Tech. “All of the adversity that we go through early in the season is going to pay off when conference play begins.”

Players named to the Holiday Inn express all- tournament team included the following:

Addy Hines            Lewis-Clark State College
Mollie Hornfelt       Lewis-Clark State College
Rosie Meyn            Carroll College
Tiffany Rochelle     Carroll College
Courtney Arthun    Rocky Mountain College
Kim Turin               Western Baptist College
Amanda Larsen       Concordia University, Oregon
Marcy Oakland       Warner Pacific College
Carmen Stratton      Concordia University, Irvine
Lindsey Campbell   Concordia University, Irvine
Ashlea Thornton     Albertson College of Idaho
Frances Hartman     Albertson College of Idaho

Tournament MVP:  Raquel Ferreira