IRVINE, Calif. – The Lewis-Clark State College volleyball team went one-for-two against teams ranked in the NAIA’s Top 5 at the Concordia-Irvine Labor Day Tournament on Friday. The Warriors cruised past No. 4-ranked Azusa Pacific in four games 25-17, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17, but was then swept by No. 3 California Baptist 25-14, 25-17, 25-15.
After day one of the two-day tournament, LCSC now holds an overall record of 4-3 as it braces for even stiffer competition on Saturday.
At 1 p.m. the Warriors will square off against the No. 1-ranked, and two-time defending national champion Fresno Pacific. Lewis-Clark State will then close out the tournament with a 7 p.m. contest against No. 10 Vanguard.
Warrior head coach Jen Greeny credited LCSC’s victory over Azusa Pacific to a combination of elements that culminated to an all-around well played match.
“We came out pretty confident,” said Greeny. “It was helpful to play some tough teams in College of Idaho and Concordia last weekend.”
Jenika Bird led LCSC with a season-high seven blocks, and Dani Barrett, Anile Clemente, and Dana Christiansen added three apiece as the Warriors out-blocked Azusa Pacific 10-7.
“Our middles did a great job right from the beginning,” said Greeny. “That’s what really started us off.”
Clemente led the attack effort as she notched 11 kills, but Lauryn Herrick was close behind as she collected 10 kills in 18 attempts. Katie Hinrichs finished with 23 digs, while Lisa Davis and Kim Fong had 21 and 16 assists, respectively.
Despite a smooth first match, the Warriors came back in the afternoon to face another strong opponent in California Baptist and couldn’t find a rhythm.
“We just struggled,” said Greeny. “They’re a really good blocking team, and they also served well, so we struggled with our passing and couldn’t get our hitters going.”
“We just struggled,” said Greeny. “They’re a really good blocking team, and they also served well, so we struggled with our passing and couldn’t get our hitters going.”
The Warriors were outhit .099 to .333 as most sets would stay relatively close until about the 15 point mark when California Baptist would take the momentum and pull away.
Cal Baptist had eight service aces, and was led by Fei Shi’s 12 kills in 19 attempts.
“Being preseason, we have our ups and downs. We just need to find a way to be more consistent .”
“Being preseason, we have our ups and downs. We just need to find a way to be more consistent .”
