Aug. 31, 2005

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Briefly...
Loyola Marymount volleyball begins its 2005 campaign this Labor Day weekend, hosting three teams in the LMU Four Points Sheraton LAX Classic. Coastal Carolina, Idaho, and Northeastern will visit Gersten Pavilion for the six-match tournament that begins Friday afternoon. All matches will be carried live on Gametracker, while LMU's action will also be broadcast as it happens on Lions' All-Access. Both features can be found at www.LMULions.com.

The Tourney Field...
The Lions are undefeated against Northeastern and Idaho, posting a combined record of 5-0 against the two programs. The Lions last met Northeastern in 2003, when the Huskies participated in the same tournament. LMU has not faced the Vandals since 1991, but will weclome back two-time All-American Sarah McFarland (1997-2000), who is an assistant coach at Idaho. This weekend's tournament will mark the first match-up between LMU and Coastal Carolina.

Looking Back...
After posting his 15th winning season in 15 years at the helm of the Loyola Marymount women's volleyball program, Head Coach Steve Stratos and the Lions finished the 2004 season 17-12. LMU participated in its ninth NCAA Tournament in 2004, facing host and 15th-ranked UCLA in Westwood's Pauley Pavilion. The Lions earned an at-large invitation to the NCAA Championship for the second straight season and played crosstown opponent UCLA (21-11) for the first time since 1990. Utah and Long Beach State joined LMU and the Bruins in the bracket.

Opportunity Knocks...
After the 2004 campaign saw Loyola Marymount volleyball make its second straight NCAA appearance, the Lions return in 2005 wanting even more. The postseason appearance was LMU's six trip in the last eight seasons, and the Lions will look to post another successful season in the highly competitive West Coast Conference and advance even deeper into postseason play. For the 2004 Lions, an at-large invitation to the NCAA Volleyball Championship served as proof that LMU was worthy of the attention it received throughout the season in the national polls.

The Stats on Strat...
Head Coach Steve Stratos completed his 15th campaign at the helm of the program with a 15th straight winning season. In his time at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to nine 20-win seasons and 10 postseason appearances from 1997-2000. Stratos has posted a career record of 305-142, the most victories in LMU volleyball history and second among current WCC coaches. In league action, he owns a mark of 150-60, good for a .714 winning percentage. Posting 150 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among current WCC coaches. Last season, Stratos reached the 300-win milestone with a 3-0 win over the University of Portland in Gersten Pavilion.

Big Shoes to Fill...
With the graduation and departure of 2003 seniors Kelli Nerison, Jody Carlson, Nicole Oehlman, Jacene Dimson, and Megan Wooton, the Lions will have some major roles to fill. Most noteably, the Lions will be without the blocking of 2003-04 AVCA honorable mention All-American Nerison and the offensive leadership of 2000 AVCA All-Region setter Oehlman. The Lions will look to senior co-captains Dina DeBernardi and Michelle Look to continue the legacy of 15 straight winning campaigns that Nerison and Oehlman left behind. DeBernardi, a three-time co-captain and two-time honorable mention All-WCC selection, will anchor the team's defense as a middle blocker. Look, who garnered a share of the 2004 squad's most valuable player honors, will return as the Lions' libero, a spot she earned last season after coming into the program as an outside hitter. LMU also returns All-WCC honorable mention sophomore Heather Hughes.

ROSTER FULL OF ROOKIES...
Stratos and staff will look down the bench to a roster comprised of eight newcomers - one transfer and seven freshman. Sophomore Christianna Reneau joined the LMU program as a transfer from the Western Athletic Conference's (WAC) Fresno State, where she led the team in kills and ranked third in digs.
Reneau was a 2004 All-WAC and WAC All-Freshman selection at Fresno State. "We're getting a very accomplished outside hitter in Christianna," Stratos said. "Even though she is young and has only played one year at the collegiate level, she has been very successful and was considered to be one of the best players in the WAC."
The freshman incoming class is highlighted by northern California natives. Both graduating from Archbishop Mitty this past June, K.C. Walsh and Erin Downey lead a freshman class consisting of three defensive specialists, two middle blockers, an outside hitter and a setter.
A four-time All-California Central Coast (CCC) selection, Walsh, the sister of 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh, was named a first-team All-American and Player of the Year by Cal-High Sports. "KC is considered one of the very best setters in the nation from the Class of 2005," Stratos said. "She's very advanced in all aspects of the game and has the mentality of a setter who knows how to win."
Downey was also a four-year varsity starter for three-time state champion Archbishop Mitty, earning four first-team all-league selections alongside Walsh. "Erin was the MVP of the state championships and brings tremendous versatility," Stratos said. "She could play left, middle, or right side."
South Bay standouts Lindsay Banas and Emily Day join the Lions after both earning All-CIF and Daily Breeze All-South Bay team selections in 2004. "Lindsay and Emily are both very good athletes," Stratos said. "Both have done a lot of winning during their high school careers and both have the potential to have an impact in our program."
Rounding out the Lions' incoming class are three defensive specialists in Katie Glomb, Lauren Kirk, and Kiera Reilly. Glomb was a Mercury News All-Central Coast selection and was named one of Prep Volleyball's 2004 "Defensive Dandies," placing her among the nation's top 25 defensive specialists. Kirk joins the LMU volleyball program as a four-year starter out of Redondo Union High School, where she was a 2004 first-team all-league and All-CIF selection. Reilly was a first-team all-league selection and reached the CCC semifinals in 2004. "We're very fortunate to have three very fine defensive specialists entering our program," Stratos said. "Kiera and Lauren were all-league performers at the outside hitter position, but will now focus on playing back row at the collegiate level. Katie is considered one of the very best liberos coming out of the 2005 class and she, along with Walsh and Downey, took part in two state championship high school teams."

Lions by Position...
With the return of just three starters and these eight newcomers, Stratos believes the upcoming season will bring excitement for LMU's fans. "Our 2005 class is made up of talented individuals who we believe will impact our program right away," Stratos said. "We're very excited about their potential."
Middle Blocker
DeBernardi will look for another strong performance in the middle this year, after returning to the position in the 2004 season. The Lions' three-time captain had a brief stint playing opposite the setter during the 2003 season, but has received honorable mention all-conference recognition in 2001 and 2004 as a middle blocker. Newcomers Banas and Downey could see some valuable time at middle blocker as well. "Dina, Lindsay, and Emily all have the potential to have an impact this year," Stratos said.
Setter
Freshman Walsh is the only primary setter on this year's roster and will likely start from the beginning of the season. Hughes was also an accomplished setter in high school and may see some time at the helm of the Lions' offense. But if possible, the Lions would like to keep Hughes where she was last year when she became the leading attacker and passer as a freshman, playing opposite the setter. "We're very fortunate to have two very fine setters in Heather and K.C.," Stratos said. "Both are very effective and capable of running a very sophisticated offense."
Outside Hitter
While the Lions tried a variety of players outside in 2004, they are especially deep at this position this season. Each returner has experience as a starter, as does the transfer Reneau. "The outside hitter position is very deep with a great deal of talent this season," Stratos said. "Jania , Krista, Heather, Sandy, Christianna, and Emily all possess the ability to start and play at a very high level."
Defensive Specialist/Libero
Stratos has many options for his back row this season in both returners and newcomers. "With our defensive specialists Michelle Look, Catherine Svorinich, Audrey Francis, Katie Glomb, Kiera Reilly, and Lauren Kirk comes a great deal of depth and skill," Stratos said. "Their ball control will be a tremendous benefit to our team." After switching from outside hitter to libero in the middle of last season, Look landed herself among the WCC leaders in digs. She also worked her way into the LMU all-time record book in season digs and career dig average.