Oct. 16, 2004
Final Stats
Los Angeles, Calif. - Loyola Marymount volleyball held West Coast Conference opponent Gonzaga to just 50 total points, a season-low for LMU opponents, as the Lions took the three-game sweep 30-12, 30-14, 30-24. Freshmen Jania Motton and Heather Hughes combined for 23 kills to lead LMU to its tenth win in Gersten Pavilion this season.
The win improved LMU to 13-5 and 4-1 in conference action, while Gonzaga fell to 4-16 and 0-6. The Lions are now 10-1 at home.
Three Lions registered double-digit kills, as Dina Debernardi joined Hughes' 12 and Motton's 11 with ten of her own. Senior Kelli Nerison added nine kills and five blocks.
LMU opened with a 9-3 lead highlighted by the play of reigning WCC Player of the Week Nerison who had three early kills and a block. Gonzaga was forced to take a timeout when Motton and DeBernardi put up back-to-back kills for the 11-4 advantage.
LMU did not let up, taking three straight points on kills by Motton and Hughes for a 12 point lead. Nicole Oehlman earned game point for the Lions with a kill, and sophomore Sandy Krone sealed the 30-12 first game victory. The Lions hit .583 in game one, without registering a single attack error. They held Gonzaga to a .088 team effort.
Hughes jump-started the Lions in game two, helping them to a 5-1 advantage with back-to-back service aces. LMU continued its sharp-shooting, not registering an attack error in the match until halfway through the second game. Six straight points featuring two kills each by Hughes and DeBernardi won the game 30-14 for the Lions. LMU continued its impressive team hitting, posting a .464 mark while holding the Bulldogs flat at .000.
Gonzaga kept the third game closer, scoring four straight points to stay within four at 24-20. But Motton ended the Bulldog run with a kill and took over from there, registering two more kills and back-to-back aces to close the three-game sweep 30-24.
The Lions held Gonzaga to just 50 total points, the fewest points scored by a LMU opponent this season. They also maintained a .440 team hitting average, their second-best mark of the 2004 campaign.
Motton, the Lions' redshirt freshman who earned her first career start last night against Portland, totaled 24 kills in the two matches.
Gonzaga was led by Lauren Armas, who hit .316 with seven kills.
The Lions will face a tough WCC weekend on the road next weekend, taking on 15th-ranked Santa Clara on Friday and 25th-ranked San Diego on Saturday. Both matches are at 7:00 p.m. and will be covered on the Lions' Audio Network and Gametracker at www.LMULions.com.
-GO LIONS-
