LEWISTON, ID — In the P1FCU Activity Center, LC State Volleyball opened the 2025 season with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-21) sweep over the MSU-Northern Skylights on Friday. The Warriors’ outstanding offense and defense allowed them to dominate every aspect of the game.
Juliauna Forgach Aguilar led the match with 20 kills, continuing her strong play from the previous season, while Alba Carpena, a freshman, had a spectacular collegiate debut with nine kills.
Coach Katie Palmer stated that today was an excellent day to put the Warriors to the test. With a potent offensive presence in the middle and right side, Northern is a formidable club. We learned a lot about ourselves and are now aware of the areas in which we still need to grow.
With the help of eight blocks, LC State restricted the Skylights to a.104 attack percentage. Six aces were dealt by the Warriors from the serve line.
Palmer continued, “I thought our defensive effort was fantastic.” Because of the hard effort we put in throughout the offseason, we are more resilient than ever. I also wanted to thank our servers for stepping up and starting to put greater strain on the Skylights serve receive line when they were challenged. All in all, it was fantastic to win in front of such a large audience. It was wonderful to see our season ticket holders in the stands once more, although our student section was noisy and unruly. LC State is a unique location.
HOW IT OCCURRED
Before the Warriors’ three-pointer broke a 10-10 deadlock in the first set, it was a close match. After consecutive kills by Forgach Aguilar and Carpena, Makenzie Stout’s service ace put the score at 13–10. The lead was extended to 17–12 after a block by Carpena and Abby Beaton and a termination by Forgach Aguilar.
Late in the set, the Skylights narrowed the gap to three, 19-16, but Taylor Boyce and Forgach Aguilar’s kills and an ace from Esther Kailiponi made it 22-16. Forgach Aguilar put an end to a brief MSU-N surge with a kill at 25-21, while Carpena recorded two kills at 24-17.
In the second set, Carpena and Helena Stewart, both freshmen, took an early 1-0 lead with a block. Carpena and Forgach Aguilar’s kills, Beaton and Teagan Scott’s block, and Forgach Aguilar’s ace put the Warriors ahead 8–2, but Northern came back to close the gap to 12–11.
For the remainder of the frame, LC State applied pressure. Forgach Aguilar’s consecutive kills increased the lead to 16–11, and Carpena’s kill set off a five-run run that saw Forgach Aguilar, Scott, and Beaton score to give them a 21–13 lead. The set concluded 25–14 thanks to kills by Boyce, Kendall Focht, and Forgach Aguilar, as well as a block from Boyce and Beaton.
LC State had a narrow 8-7 lead early in the frame, and the final set was much like the first. After Scott blocked, Carpena and Kailiponi killed to increase the lead to 11-7, and then Forgach Aguilar and Caprena each had two strokes to make it 15-11.
Forgach Aguilar, Scott, Hannah Dotson, and Boyce all scored points as the offensive assault continued, increasing the advantage to 19–14. At match point, the score was 24-16 after two blocks and an ace, but Northern came back to narrow it to 24-21. Forgach Aguilar killed to conclude the season’s opening game.
RECAP OF STATISTICS
With 20 kills and a.220 attack percentage, Forgach Aguilar took the lead in the competition. Boyce added eight at a clip of.368 after Carpena had nine. As a team, the Warriors hit.198.
Kailiponi provided 17 assists, while Scott topped the setters with 19. Kailiponi and Stout each dealt two of the six service aces that LC State dealt.
Beaton provided four block assists, contributing to the Warrior defense’s eight total blocks. Carpena and Stewart each had three block assists, and Scott had three assists and a solo. With a career-high 13 digs, Ella Stosich led the back row, while Stout gathered 11.
UP NEXT
The Hells Canyon Grand Invitational will be held by the Warriors at the P1FCU Activity Center on August 29 and 30. On August 29 at 6 p.m., LC State will play Arizona Christian, and on August 30 at 2 p.m., Montana Western.
