Sept. 4, 2004

Los Angeles, Calif. - Loyola Marymount volleyball moved to 2-0 at the LMU Four Points Sheraton Classic with a three-game sweep of Villanova Saturday afternoon. The Lions will now play Tennessee (2-0) for the tournament title tonight at 7:30 p.m. True freshman Heather Hughes put up strong numbers again today, leading the Lions with 14 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Setter Nicole Oehlman lifted the Lions to hit .342 as a team, while recording 40 assists. LMU also out-blocked Villanova 9.0 to 3.0, thanks in part to senior Kelli Nerison's six block assists. Villanova took a 4-5 lead in game one, but LMU rattled off five straight points as co-captains Dina DeBernardi and Nicole Oehlman each threw down two kills. The Wildcats could not recover as the Lions closed out the opening game 30-17 on a kill by Hughes. LMU held a 17-12 advantage in game two, but Villanova fought back to tie the game at 21 led by Dana Kabashima and Celine Nguyen who would finish the match with seven kills each. Senior libero Jacene Dimson would secure the second game win at 30-24 for the Lions when her serve dropped just inside the end line for a service ace. In a game that was tied 12 times, Villanova had game point at 29-30. But Hughes' shot tied the game again at 30 and the Lions scored two straight points to take the game and the match 3-0. The Lions, who won the 2003 LMU Four Points Sheraton Classic, will play Tennessee tonight at 7:30 p.m. for this year's title. Duke and Villanova will square-off at 5:00 p.m. -GO LIONS-