Oct. 7, 2003

Briefly...
Loyola Marymount (17-2, 2-0 WCC) broke into the top 20 of the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll after going 3-0 for the second straight week. The Lions defeated UC Riverside on the road and Saint Mary's and No. 24 San Francisco at home to begin WCC play.

Up Next
The No. 20 Lions will use the week to prepare to face No. 6 Pepperdine (12-2, 2-0 WCC) in Malibu on Saturday, October 11th at 7:00 p.m. Fans can follow the action from Pepperdine live on www.lmulions.com as the Lions Audio Network will cover the broadcast.

No. 6 Pepperdine Waves
Senior Katie Wilkins totaled a match-high 26 kills to lead a group of three Pepperdine players with double-digit kill totals to help the Waves to a four-game victory over previously undefeated San Francisco in both team's WCC opener Friday night at Firestone Fieldhouse. Pepperdine won by scores of 30-14, 30-23, 26-30, 30-25 to extend its winning streak to nine and improve to 11-2.
On Saturday night, sophomore outside hitters Katy Daly and Breegan Mulligan each recorded double-doubles to lead No. 6 Pepperdine to a four-game victory over visiting Saint Mary's in a WCC match at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves won by scores of 30-27, 30-28, 34-36 and 30-27 to improve to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in WCC play. Pepperdine also extended its conference winning streak to 30 matches.

LMU Breaks Into the Top 20
After playing to a 17-2, 2-0 WCC record, including a 3-1 win over No. 7 UC Santa Barbara on September 2nd and a current home streak of 10-0, Loyola Marymount volleyball ranks 20th on this week's USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll. The Lions peaked at the No. 21 spot last week. This week's 425 points, however, are good for the 20th spot, LMU's highest ranking this season. In addition to defeating the No. 7 Gauchos, LMU has claimed three tournament titles this season: the Furama Hotel Invitational, the Sheraton Four Points Classic, and the Cougar Mania Tournament. Last week's poll marked the first time in West Coast Conference history that five WCC teams were ranked in the top 25. The WCC tied the Pac-10 with five teams ranked in the top 25. No other conference had more than three of its teams ranked. Pepperdine (12-2, 2-0 WCC) retained its No. 6 ranking this week, while Santa Clara (11-5, 2-0 WCC) and San Diego (13-3, 2-0 WCC) moved up to the No. 14 and 18 spots, respectively. San Francisco (15-2, 0-2 WCC) entered the poll for the first time last week at 24th, but dropped out of the top 25 after losing their first two matches of the season to No. 6 Pepperdine and LMU last weekend. The Lions face each of these WCC teams twice.

LMU in NCAA's National Rankings
No. 20 Loyola Marymount appears among the nation's best in the weekly NCAA statistical rankings. For the rankings for games played through September 29th, LMU ranks 12th in match won-lost percentage at .875. The Lions also rank 29th in team hitting percentage, hitting .270. Dina DeBernardi ranks 28th in individual hitting percentage, hitting 0.393.

Lions Audio Network Allows Fans to Follow LMU Athletics
Beginning with the match against San Diego State and continuing with select matches throughout the season, fans can follow LMU volleyball on the Lions' Audio Network. Thanks to an agreement with Yahoo! Sports, more than 110 LMU games will be aired live via the Internet throughout this season. In addition to the increased number of broadcasts, Yahoo! Sports will bring its state-of-the-art technology to the Lions' Audio Network. To ensure the best product for our listeners, the Yahoo! Sports partnership is a subscription-based program. Live programming is a hallmark of every major athletics program in the country and LMU's commitment is an example to the student-athletes and fans of the continuing efforts to Build Champions and Championship programs! Fans can follow Saturday's match at Pepperdine by going to www.lmulions.com, as the battle of the two top 20 teams will be the next broadcast for the Lions' Audio Network.

Dina DeBernardi Among Top WCC Athletes of the Month
No. 20 Loyola Marymount's Dina DeBernardi was among the conference's top athletes of the month for her play during September, the West Coast Conference announced on Friday. DeBernardi currently ranks 28th in the nation in hitting percentage, hitting .393 in matches through September 30th. Against San Diego State, DeBernardi hit .522 with 13 kills. The Lions' co-captain has hit better than .400 in five matches as a middle blocker and led the team in attack percentage (.384) and points per game (4.19). She also ranked second among all Lions in kills per game (3.63).

Newsome's Block Party
Senior Tiana Newsome has made blocking history this season, adding several more career and season titles to her already-long blocking resume. Newsome now owns the following LMU blocking titles: single season solo blocks, single season total blocks, single season block average, freshman season block high, career block average, career block assists, career total blocks, match block high, and junior match block high. She needs just eight more solo blocks to claim the career solo block title from Julie Greer (1992-95).

No. 21 LMU Remains Undefeated at Home
No. 21 Loyola Marymount (17-2, 2-0 WCC) defeated WCC opponent No. 24 San Francisco (15-2, 0-2 WCC) in four games (28-30, 30-22, 30-23, 30-20) Saturday in Gersten Pavilion. The win is the Lions' sixth consecutive victory and keeps their home record unblemished at 10-0. Sophomore Krista Houseman came up big in the second conference contest of the season, posting 10 kills and two blocks, while hitting .529. Houseman, who had appeared in 11 matches prior to this evening, posted four kills in the final game, including one to earn match point for the Lions. The outside hitter ended the match hitting .529 and LMU won the fourth game 30-19 on a kill by Nerison. Oehlman posted 60 assists, five kills, two aces, nine digs, and two blocks on the night. The 60 assists is a season-high for the junior. Both Sandy Krone (13 kills, 20 digs) and Kealani Kimball (18 kills, 16 digs) posted double-double numbers against the Dons. The Lions had five players record ten or more kills in the win and ended the match out-hitting USF .377 to .199. LMU also out-blocked the Dons 12.0 - 1.0.

No. 21 LMU Wins Fourth Straight Conference Opener
No. 21 Loyola Marymount (16-2) defeated Saint Mary's (13-5) in five games (30-17, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 15-9) Friday evening at Gersten Pavilion. It was the fourth consecutive season the Lions have opened West Coast Conference play with a victory. The win also extended LMU's winning streak to five and protected the Lions' undefeated home record of 9-0 in Gersten Pavilion this season. Nerison recorded 12 kills and three blocks and hit .611 on the evening. Setter Nicole Oehlman earned her eighth double-double of the season with 58 assists and 12 digs. Kimball also posted double-double numbers with 25 kills and 11 digs.

No. 21 LMU Defeats UC Riverside
No. 21 Loyola Marymount (15-2) defeated UC Riverside (7-8) in three games (30-21, 30-23, 30- 28) Tuesday evening in Riverside. Setter Nicole Oehlman recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 37 assists and 10 digs. LMU handed the Highlanders, a team that had beat previously-ranked Long Beach State, just their third three-game sweep of the season. It was the 12th time that LMU has won in three games this season.

Kealani Kimball Named Cougar Mania Tournament MVP
LMU's Kealani Kimball was selected as the tournament's MVP. It was the senior's first MVP honor of the season. Kimball posted her fourth double-double of the season, with 22 kills and 25 digs against the Cougars. Overall, the Lions' co-captain totaled 49 kills, 41 digs, six aces, and four blocks on the weekend.

Kimball, DeBernardi, Oehlman Named to Cougar Mania All-Tournament Team
Setter Nicole Oehlman and middle blocker Dina DeBernardi joined Kimball on the Cougar Mania All-Tournament team. Oehlman contributed 127 assists, while DeBernardi added 36 kills and nine blocks against tournament opponents.

DeBernardi Named WCC Player of the Week, Four Points Sheraton Classic MVP
Dina DeBernardi was selected as the West Coast Conference's Player of the Week on Monday, September 8. DeBernardi posted 56 kills and six blocks on the week, leading LMU to an upset of No. 7 UC Santa Barbara and their second tournament title in as many weekends. Against No. 7 UCSB, DeBernardi recorded 23 kills with no errors, good for a .639 hitting percentage. The Scottsdale, Arizona, native earned most valuable player honors at the Four Points Sheraton Volleyball Classic, after hitting .395 against Eastern Washington, a team that had just upset No. 15 Long Beach State. She shared the Player of the Week honor with Santa Clara's Becky Potter.

DeBernardi, Oehlman, and Kimball Named to Four Points Sheraton Classic All-Tournament Team
Senior Kealani Kimball and junior Nicole Oehlman joined DeBernardi as all-tournament selections. Kimball contributed 39 kills and five blocks on the weekend, while Oehlman earned her second double-double of the tournament against Eastern Washington, recording 54 assists and 10 digs. Creighton's Katie Grady and Northeastern's Jana Kubalova represented their squads on the all-tournament team. Megan Kitterman and Lindsay Page of Eastern Washington also garnered all-tournament honors.

LMU Wins Four Points Sheraton Volleyball Classic
Loyola Marymount earned its second tournament title in as many weekends, dropping Eastern Washington in five games, 19-30, 25-30, 30-25, 30-23, 15-8. The Lions went 3-0 in tournament play this weekend, defeating participants Northeastern (30-13, 30-14, 30-18) and Creighton (33-31, 31-29, 30-15) prior to Saturday evening's final matchup. Middle blocker Dina DeBernardi was named the tournament's most valuable player after recording 33 kills and six blocks on the weekend.

LMU Drops No. 7 UC Santa Barbara
The Lions used a total team performance to upset the seventh-ranked Gauchos in four games 30-27, 26-30, 30-19, 30-20. Middle blocker Dina DeBernardi recorded 23 kills with no errors, good for a .639 hitting percentage. As a team, LMU hit .338, compared to UC Santa Barbara's .211 average.

LMU Wins 2003 Furama Hotel Invitational
The Lions claimed the 2003 LMU Furama Hotel Invitational title following a 3-0 run where they won each of their nine games. LMU dropped UNLV, West Virginia, and 2002 NCAA tournament participant Sacramento State. There was a three-way tie for second place, as Sacramento State, UNLV, and West Virginia all posted records of 1-2.

Nerison Named 2003 Furama Hotel Invitational MVP
Junior Kelli Nerison was named the 2003 LMU Furama Hotel Invitational MVP. It was the first collegiate MVP selection for the middle blocker, who finished the weekend with 29 kills and 12 blocks.

Kimball and Oehlman Join Nerison on Furama Hotel Invitational All-Tournament Team
Senior Kealani Kimball and junior Nicole Oehlman joined Nerison in representing the Lions on the 2003 LMU Furama Hotel Invitational all-tournament team. Kimball posted 38 kills and 42 digs on the weekend, while Oehlman added 96 assists. Kazmiera Imrie (28 kills) and Lisa Beauchene (81 assists) of Sacramento State, Sheila Ocasio-Clemente (24 kills) of UNLV, and West Virginia's Alison Zemanski (29 kills, 9 blocks) rounded out the all-tournament selections.

The Stratos Story
In his 13 seasons as head coach of the LMU women's volleyball program, Steve Stratos has maintained a high level of excellence throughout his program, both in the classroom and on the court. Stratos has led the Lions to eight 20-win seasons and eight postseason appearances, including four consecutive in the NCAA Championships from 1997-2000. Having coached six All-Americans, as well as numerous academic all-conference selections, Stratos continues to maintain one of the top volleyball programs in the nation. In 1996, Stratos became the first coach in West Coach Conference history to be tabbed Coach of the Year three straight seasons after leading the Lions to their third consecutive conference title. Stratos has posted a career record of 279-125, the highest winning percentage in LMU volleyball history and second most WCC victories among current conference coaches.