SPOKANE - The Lewis-Clark State College women's volleyball team collected 19 blocks and held Whitworth to a .019 hitting percentage as the Warriors rolled 25-21, 25-15, 25-16 win on Wednesday night.
The Warriors, 3-2 overall, dominated play at the net as they hit .240 for the match and had 16 more blocks than the Pirates, who fell to 0-3.
Senior All-American candidate Anile Clemente led the Warriors with 12 kills, while Jenika Bird had her best match as a Warrior with 11 kills. Lauryn Herrick added six kills, while Dana Christiansen had five.
The first set went back-and-forth until a block by Bird and Clemente put the Warriors ahead for good at 12-11. LCSC led by as much as five at 19-14, but Whitworth rallied and cut the margin to 21-20 and 22-21. The Warriors, however, were able to close out the match on a kill by Bird and two service aces from Lydia Tollbom.
The second set followed the first set as it Whitworth led 9-8 before LCSC scored four straight points. The Warriors later used one of four service aces on the night from Lisa Davis to go on a 6-0 run and open up a 23-14 advantage.
For the third straight set, the contest was tied at 9-9, and even at 12-12 before LCSC took control. Lisa Davis served five straight points and then the Warriors scored the final six points to close out the match.
LCSC had eight service aces on the night as Tollbom and Clemente had two each. Davis finished with 22 assists and seven digs, while Katie Hinrichs added 11 digs. Bird led the front line with five blocks, while Dani Barrett added four.
The Warriors now head to California for its toughest stretch of the season as they will play four NAIA Top 10-ranked teams at the California-Irvine Tournament. On Friday, LCSC faces No. 4 Azusa Pacific at 9 a.m., and then faces California Baptist at 3 p.m. Saturday's schedule has the Warriors against top-ranked Fresno Pacific at 1 p.m. and No. 10 Vanguard at 7 p.m.
