Using big runs and dominating play at the net, the Lewis-Clark State College women's volleyball team had little trouble in rolling past Montana Western 25-14, 25-13, 25-5 in a Frontier Conference match at the LCSC Activity Center on Thursday night.
The win was the ninth straight for the Warriors, who are ranked No. 9 in the NAIA. Of those nine victories, six have been by 3-0 sweeps including Montana Western twice. LCSC is 24-5 in sets during the win streak. LCSC also has won nine matches this season in sweeps.
LCSC leads the conference with an 9-1 record and is 15-3 overall.
The Warriors dominated play on Thursday. They hit .329 for the match, compared to negative-.133 for the Bulldogs, who fell to 6-15 overall and 1-9 in league play. LCSC also had eight service aces, a 9-6 advantage in blocks, and a 34-14 advantage in kills.
"Our focus today was to play as a team and that showed tonight," LCSC coach LaToya Harris. "We mixed up our lineup at times but the momentum didn't change. That's what we want."
Harris was able to use a variety of lineups during the match and 15 players saw action for L-C.
Senior outside hitter Lauryn Herrick led the Warriors with seven kills, five service aces, and three digs, while Brianne Brown added six kills and four digs. Nevena Dragovic had 25 assists, five digs, two solo blocks and four block assists, while Kaylee Rector had a team-high eight digs.
Harris credited the team for continuing to push hard to get better. She said the team continues to buy into her philosophy and push their game to the next level.
"I'm very happy and pleased for them and excited to see what the future brings," Harris said.
The Warriors led for most of the first game, but didn't take control until Herrick served three straight points, including an ace, for a 15-10 lead. Western cut the lead to three at 16-13, but the Warriors ran off the next eight points for a 24-13 advantage. A net serve gave the Warriors the win.
Western was its own worst enemy in the opening game with a negative-.083 hitting percentage. LCSC also had 12 kils in the opener, compared to four for Western.
Herrick's serving in the second game helped LC jump out to the early lead. Herrick, who was the conference's Player of the Week last week, had two service aces and four kills to help the Warriors run off eight straight points for a 15-7 advantage. Western couldn't get closer than seven the rest of the way. The Bulldogs hit .000 for the second game.
The Warriors kept the momentum rolling in the third game and rolled to a 9-1 lead. Western cut the lead to seven twice, but couldn't get closer as the Warriors rolled to win the win.
The Warriors wrap up their home season on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Montana Tech at the Activity Center. The Warriors’ three seniors, Nicole Graybeal, Kelli Tikker, and Herrick, will be honored prior to the match.
