Oct. 12, 2002

Final Stats

Los Angeles, Calif. - Just as they did against No. 7 UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, the Loyola Marymount Lions won the opening game in a match against a ranked opponent. But just as they did against the Gauchos, LMU dropped the next three, to No. 12 Pepperdine in front of 508 fans at Gersten Pavilion. The Waves upped their record to 10-6, 3-0 in the West Coast Conference, while LMU fell to 11-5, 2-1 in the league in the 28-30, 30-22, 30-23, 30-16 decision.

The first game was close throughout, with the largest lead for either team being four points. There were 15 ties in the game, before freshman Michelle Look came up with a kill to put the Lions ahead 27-26. With Look back to serve, Kristen Gallup smashed a kill to give LMU a two-point advantage. Following a Pepperdine timeout, the Waves scored two consecutive points to tie the game. After a Wave hitting error, Tiana Newsome stuffed Stacy Rouwenhorst for the winning point.

It was the 19th consecutive game the Lions had won at home.

Pepperdine bounced back quickly, winning game two. The Waves jumped out to a 12-6 lead in game two, following a Kristen Shultz service ace. Pepperdine extended its lead to 23-16, but the Lions answered with four consecutive points to get within three. Following a Wave timeout, Pepperdine scored seven of the next nine points to earn the victory. A Katy Daly kill sealed the triumph.

The Waves carried their momentum into game three scoring the first six points, before LMU was able to get onto the board. Pepperdine built an 11-point cushion at 15-4, but the Lions scored six of the next eight points to get into the game. With Pepperdine supplying continuous pressure, the Lions were not able to get any closer than five points. LMU hit .167 in the third game, down from .333 in the opener.

The Lions responded quickly to start the fourth game, jumping out to a 4-1. But after that early flurry, LMU struggled as Pepperdine scored six straight points to open up a 21-11 lead. The Waves cruised to the victory, winning their 17th-consecutive match in the WCC.

Gallup led LMU with 15 kills, while Newsomeand Kealani Kimball each had 12. Pepperdine All-American Katie Wilkins came up with a match-high 21 kills, while Daly, Rouwenhorst and Lyndsey Hache' all reached double figures.

LMU will return to action next Friday and Saturday, when the Lions travel to Santa Clara and San Francisco, respectively.