Oct. 17, 2003

Box Score

Portland, Ore. - No. 19 Loyola Marymount (18-3, 3-1 WCC) defeated Portland (10-9, 0-5 WCC) in three games (30-22, 30-20, 30-17) Saturday night at the Chiles Center. Junior Kelli Nerison led the Lions with 12 kills and seven blocks, while hitting .706. The middle blocker improved her WCC match hitting percentage to .532.

LMU hit for .286 with 16 kills, compared to Portland's .082 in game one for a 30-22 win. The Lions continued to improve throughout the match, hitting for .385 in game two and .469 in game three. The Pilots struggled defensively and LMU out-dug Portland, 49 to 36 with 15.5 total team blocks. The Lions easily recorded wins in games two and three to conclude the match.

Three players recorded double-figure kills for the Lions. Kealani Kimball totaled 14 kills and hit for .414 on the night with 10 digs. Nerison tallied 12 kills, while Dina DeBernardi chipped in 11 kills. DeBernardi had six block assists on the night, and Tiana Newsome racked up seven blocks. Nicole Oehlman posted 43 assists for the Lions.

"LMU is a very good team, better than their national ranking," Portland Head Coach Doug Sparks said.

No. 19 LMU will continue on to Washington to take on Gonzaga (3-18, 0-5 WCC) Saturday night. Fans can follow the match on Livestats at www.lmulions.com beginning at 7:00 p.m.

-- GO LIONS --