LEWISTON, Idaho – Northwest rallied from two sets down to force a fifth set before losing at Lewis-Clark State, 3-2, Friday.
 
The Warriors won 25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 15-25, 15-13.
 
The Eagles led 17-12 in the first set before the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to seize control of the set and momentum.
 
Lewis-Clark State used a 9-3 run to break open an 11-11 second set and cruised to the win.
 
Northwest stood up to the Warriors in the third set, getting three blocks to withstand 16 LCSC kills. Reece Denney closed out a close set with her seventh kill of the match.
 
The Eagles trailed 7-6 in the fourth set before going on a 7-0 run, including two kills by Abigail Broussard and two aces by Savannah Hale.
 
NU used a pair of 3-0 runs to get some space and Broussard sent the match to the fifth set with her 13^th kill of the night.
 
The Warriors came out hot for the fifth set, scoring the first four points. LCSC kept at least a two-point lead until a pair of service errors and an attack error fueled a 3-1 run to make it a one-point Warrior lead, 11-10.
 
A pair of Horne kills tied the score at 12-12, but the Warriors closed out the match with Jada Wyms getting a block and a kill. Northwest had two service errors and five attack errors in the decisive set.
 
"Most matches come down to serving and passing and tonight's match was no different," said NU Head Coach Steven Bain. "LCSC made more plays than us in those two phases and their efforts were rewarded with a win. Our players did fight back though after dropping the first two sets and unlike last week, we were the team behind by two when it was done.  As challenging as that is from an emotional perspective, we need to mature to the point where our response to a five-set, two-point win is no different from our response to a five-set, two-point loss. When that happens, we will be a team that is more focused on the process than the outcome and that will be a good thing."

Broussard and Horne had 13 kills apiece, with Denney adding 11. Saelens had 40 assists. NU had seven aces, led by Hale with three and two each by Broussard and Kelsey Cummins.
 
Cristina Lorenz led the defense with 14 digs, followed by Cummins with 12 and Hale with 11. Broussard and Azaria Johnson were in on three blocks apiece.
 
Now 4-6 overall and 3-2 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the Eagles play a 9 p.m. contest on Saturday at Walla Walla. That match takes place at Rogers Adventist School.