Oct. 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK...

BRIEFLY...
Having lost three straight matches, including its only match last week to then-No. 17 Pepperdine, LMU remains at home to host WCC foes Portland and Gonzaga this week.  The Lions will square-off against Portland on Thursday at 7 p.m. before meeting the Bulldogs at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

FOLLOWWW THE LIONS...
It’s easy to follow the Lions throughout the 2008 season! Just log on to LMULions.com for all the latest Lion volleyball coverage.  All LMU home matches, and the majority of the matches on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker.  In addition, every Lion home match will also be broadcast online courtesy of the Lions Audio Network.  Just visit the Lion volleyball page at www.LMULions.com, click on schedule, and click on the link located on the right side of the schedule for that particular match.

DIG FOR THE CURE…
For the second consecutive year, LMU volleyball will take part in the Dig for the Cure Breast Cancer campaign.  100% of the proceeds made during LMU’s match against Saint Mary’s on October 30 will be donated to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  Pledge forms can be downloaded by clicking the embedded link, or via the LMU volleyball page at www.LMULions.com.  Just click the graphic under the sidebar.

GAMEDAY AT GERSTEN…
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year in Gersten Pavilion.  LMU will host 17 home matches this season (including three matches in Burns Recreation Center as part of the LMU Four Points Sheraton LAX/LMU Volleyball Classic).  When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport.  Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive.  Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate.  Gersten’s doors open one hour before the start of the match.

TEAM LMU THIS WEEK…
“Team LMU” was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days.  These days will be held throughout the 2008-09 athletic year, so stay tuned and come support LMU athletics.  Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated “Team LMU” days and to attend the games.

LION TRACKS…
The Lions are coming off a loss to then-No. 17 Pepperdine in WCC play in the only match of the week for LMU.  Senior Emily Day once again led the Lions in the match, totaling a match-high tying 17 kills on 47 attacks.  The native of Torrance, Calif. teamed the kill total with nine digs, second-best for the team on the night.  Freshman Ariana Covington amassed 14 kills in the loss, while sophomore setter Renee Horton dished-out 35 assists as LMU hit .184 (44-for-136) as a team. Freshman Christa Scholtz paced the team in digs, notching a career-best 10 in the match.  LMU has now lost three straight matches, dropping each by a score of 3-1.

PORTLAND PERSIFLAGE…
Portland enters the week toting a 5-14 overall record, 0-4 in the WCC, having dropped four straight matches and seven of its last eight.  The Pilots have not won two consecutive matches all season, but have recorded two sweeps in their five victories.  Portland’s last victory came against DePaul on September 20, a match in which Portland won 3-1.  The Pilots have dropped nine straight sets after taking set one from San Diego on October 4.  Last week, they fell to then-No. 20 Santa Clara in three sets on Thursday before dropping a three-set decision to Saint Mary’s on Saturday.  Ashley Grayson paces the offense in terms of kills, totaling 200 on 529 attacks for a .181 percentage.  The Pilots boast five different players with 100 or more kills this season, including Marissa Plummer who hits for the best average on the squad with a .274 mark and 100 kills.  Kaylyn Jones runs the offense for Portland, dishing-out 561 assists at a rate of 8.25 per set.  Jessica Clemens is the team-leader in digs and service aces, totaling 170 and 22, respectively.  Jennifer Sheedy is the most active player on the block, amassing 11 block solos and 35 block assists for a team-high 46 total blocks.  Portland is 1-6 so far this season away from home, with the lone victory coming against Montana State on August 30.  Head coach Joe Houck is in his first year at the helm of the program.

CAGING THE BULLDOGS…
Gonzaga enters the weekend match with the Lions toting a 6-14 overall record, 0-4 in the WCC, having dropped five straight matches and seven of its last eight.  The Bulldogs, who will take on No. 16 Pepperdine on Thursday of this week, last won on September 20 against Eastern Michigan, a match that they swept.  Gonzaga is coming off back-to-back three-set losses in conference action last week after falling to Saint Mary’s and then-No. 20 Santa Clara at home.   Elaina Renius leads the Bulldog offense with 269 kills, followed by Michelle Boevers with 209.  Renius averages 3.49 kills per set, while hitting a team-best .296.  Denise Van de Mortel runs the Gonzaga offense, dishing-out 806 assists at a 10.47 assists per set average.  Paige Dillingham leads the team in digs with 269, while Kelsey Bashaw is the leading server with 16 service aces.  Renius is the most active on the block, amassing 31 block solos and 63 block assists for a total of 94 blocks, better than any player in the WCC by more than 20 blocks.  The Bulldogs have yet to record a victory in a road match this season, carrying a 0-6 record into the week.  Head coach Kip Yoshimura is in his seventh season at the helm of the program.

“DAY”-LY DOUBLE…DOUBLE…
Senior Emily Day has collected a WCC-best 11 double-doubles entering this week of play.  In addition, she places first in the conference, and ninth in the nation, in kills with 275 at a rate of 4.51, and first in the WCC with 316.5 points.  Her 19 service aces at a .31 rate rank sixth, while her 180 digs at a rate of 2.95 digs per set is ninth in the WCC.  In conference matches alone, Day is first in kills (59 total/4.92 per set) and points (66.5 total/5.54 per set).  Day is the team leader in attacks (714), kills (275), service aces (19) and digs (180), and is second in block solos (12) and total blocks (33).

SOPHOMORE SLUMP?…MORE LIKE SOPHOMORE SUCCESS…
Sophomore Becky Stehling is having another stellar campaign after turning in an impressive freshman season last year.  The native of Austin, Texas currently leads the team in attack percentage at .351, block solos with 16, and total blocks with 40.  Her attack percentage places her 50th in the nation in that category, while also putting her fifth in the West Coast Conference.  In WCC matches alone, she ranks seventh in attack percentage with a .339 mark.

HOMETOWN GIRLS…
The Lions own a 182-65 overall record at home under Head Coach Steve Stratos over his 18+ years at the helm of the program, including a 6-3 mark at home this season.  So far this year, LMU has hit .250 (415-148/1066) at home compared to .198 (361-160/1016) on the road and at neutral sites.  LMU is 4-4 in matches away from LMU.  The Lions’ kill leader, Emily Day, also shows the same pattern of success at home.  She has totaled 145 kills at a .244 pace in home matches while amassing 130 kills and a hitting percentage of .183 in all other matches.  Looking solely at road matches and ignoring neutral matches, LMU is 0-4 on the road.  The Lions have hit .153 (152-81/463) over those four losses, as their opponents have managed a .252 mark.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHATTER…
USF’s Carly Babin claimed WCC Player of the Week after leading the Dons to a victory over then-No. 15 San Diego to remain perfect in West Coast Conference play.  Babin continued her stellar senior season, leading the Dons with a .826 hitting percentage.  Babin’s average marked the third best in USF single-match history, and the best average for a Don in four sets.  The native of Las Vegas, Nev. recorded 19 kills, a career-high seven digs and a match-high seven blocks in the contest.  She is currently ranked fifth in the country in hitting percentage.  Three West Coast Conference women’s volleyball teams are ranked in national polls.  With its unbeaten record recently broken, Pepperdine moved up to No. 16 in the most recent AVCA Poll.  San Diego fell to No. 20 after losing to San Francisco, and Santa Clara moved up to No. 18 with its undefeated weekend.  Several players in the WCC rank among the nation’s best in several categories.  Notable leaders are Kapua Kamana’o (SMC) and Jessica Nyrop (USD), who are sixth and 16th in assists per set, while Emily Day (LMU) and Julie Rubenstein (PEP) are ninth and 14th in kills per set.  Babin and Alix Gombos continue to be one and two in the conference in hitting percentage and are fifth and 10th in the country.  As a team, San Diego ranks eighth in assists per set and seventh in kills per set.

BRING IN THE “DH”…
Freshman Diana Hiromoto has proved to be a valuable server off the Lion bench since earning a spot in the rotation on September 12 against Pittsburgh.  Despite not playing in any of the matches prior to that date, Hiromoto is tied for first in service aces with 19 at a .63 aces per set average entering the week.  She also owns 65 digs at a rate of 2.17 per set.  The native of Honolulu, Hawai’i collected a season and career-best five service aces against UC Riverside on September 19.  She has also recorded four aces on two occasions (Pittburgh on September 12 and UCSB on September 16), and three on September 13 vs. San Jose State.  She was ranked first in the WCC in service aces last week, but currently does not have enough time played to qualify statistically.

LMU RECORD BOOKS…
Three Lions have already cemented their names in the LMU record books as the Lions continue to play in 2008.  Senior Emily Day currently ranks fifth in total attacks (3,582), sixth in kill average at 3.55, kills (1,312), eighth in digs (1,035), and 10th in dig average (2.80).  She sits just six service aces from the next closest spot in the All-Time books.  Sophomore Renee Horton already ranks eighth in assists in a single season, totaling 1,318 last year.  Combined with this year’s numbers, Horton has totaled 1,847 assists in less than two years of play, ranking seventh in the LMU record books in that category.  The native of Wildomar, Calif. is also a lock to enter the career assists average top-10 list at the end of the season.  Like Horton, fellow sophomore Whitney Leonard already pervades the single-season record books after one year at LMU, claiming second in dig average (4.53) and sixth in total digs (426).  On the career records side, she is in prime position to place in the top-10 for dig average at the end of the season.

DIGGING HER WAY TO HISTORY…
Emily Day recorded her 1,000th career dig in the first set of the loss to Santa Clara on October 2.  Day collected her 1,000th career kill against Saint Mary’s on November 17, 2007, and with the dig, she joined Kim Blankinship (1993-96), Deanna Doolittle (1990-93), Heather Hughes (2004-07), Kealani Kimball (2000-03), Christianna Reneau (2005-07) and Leslie Wohlford (1985-88) in the elite 1,000 kills/1,000 digs club.  She is just the ninth player in LMU history to collect 1,000 career digs.

DAY NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK…
Senior Emily Day was named WCC Player of the Week for her efforts in LMU's only match over the week of September 22-28, a sweep of Cal State Bakersfield on September 26 in Gersten Pavilion.  Day, who has been named WCC Player of the Week four times in her career, received the accolade much earlier this season than in the past.  The native of Torrance, Calif. had been awarded the honor in November of each of her previous three seasons.  Day became the first Lion honored by the WCC this season after guiding LMU to an impressive victory over the Roadrunners.  She played in all three sets for the Lions on the week, collecting a match-best 17 kills at a match-high, and career-best, .680 clip (17-0/25).  Day also posted an assist, a match-high three service aces, a block solo, a block assist and six digs.  Overall, she averaged one service ace, two digs and .67 blocks per set in the match against Bakersfield, and on the week, for LMU.

FOUR POINT SHERATON FOURSOME…
Seniors Emily Day and Erin Downey, along with sophomore Renee Horton and freshman Diana Hiromoto were each named to the 2008 Four Points Sheraton LAX/LMU Volleyball Classic All-Tournament team following the two-day event.  In addition, Day was named Tournament MVP for her outstanding effort in guiding LMU to the Tournament Championship.  LMU swept Pittsburgh and UC Irvine, while defeating San Jose State 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.  Over the course of the three matches, Day collected 43 kills on 111 attacks for a .270 attack percentage.  The native of Torrance, Calif.  tallied seven service aces and 27 digs, while posting two double-doubles and averaging 4.30 kills per set and 2.70 digs per set.  Downey managed 20 kills and hit .405 (20-for-42) while totaling seven blocks (two block solos and five block assists).  Horton dished-out 90 assists and collected 20 digs, while Hiromoto served-up seven aces, including four in the opening match of the tournament on Friday, and posted 33 digs.

LOBO CLASSIC TRIFECTA…
Senior Emily Day and sophomores Megan Nash and Becky Stehling were named to the 2008 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Lions to a runner-up finish at the two-day event.  Day, who like Nash and Stehling, started all three matches for LMU on the weekend, finished the tournament with 41 kills, two assists, four service aces and 37 digs.  As always, Day was active at the net, posting a block solo in each of the three matches, seven total block assists and 10 total blocks.  As expected, Day was a go-to player from the start, averaging 4.10 kills per set during the tournament.  Nash found time in all 10 sets for the Lions over the weekend, posting 18 kills at a .362 clip (18-for-47) and making only one attack error.  In addition, the Manhattan Beach, Calif. native dished-up two assists and collected 10 digs.  Playing an essential role in the Lions’ defense at the net, she tallied one block solo, 12 block assists, including eight against Idaho State on Friday, for a total of 13 blocks on the tournament.  Stehling also played in all 10 sets for the Lions, collecting 28 kills at a .356 clip (28-7/59).  The native of Austin, Texas also posted five block assists, including four in the Championship Match against New Mexico.  Stehling posted 12 of her 28 kills in the opening match on Friday, connecting at a .435 clip (12-2/23).  She proceeded to hit .350 on Saturday morning, tallying 10 kills on 20 attacks and committing three errors.

THE STATS ON STRAT...
Steve Stratos completed his 18th season at the helm of the program with an 18th straight winning year in 2007.  In his tenure at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to nine 20-win seasons and 11 postseason appearances.  He has posted a career record of 369-185, the most victories in LMU volleyball history and second-most among current WCC coaches.  His .669 winning percentage entering the 2008 season placed him in the top-50 (46th) among active Division I coaches.  In conference play, he owns a record of 170-85, for a .667 winning percentage.  With 170 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among active coaches in the WCC.