Oct. 2, 2008

Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - LMU (10-5, 0-1) fell to host No. 23 Santa Clara (9-3, 1-0), 17-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20, on Thursday in the first West Coast Conference match of the season. Senior Emily Day also recorded her 1,000th career dig in the first set, becoming just the seventh Lion in LMU history to reach the 1,000 dig/1,000 kill plateau.

Day joins 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 club.

Day, the current WCC Player of the Week, posted a match-best 21 kills on 44 attacks for a .250 hitting percentage. Day also notched a service ace and 12 digs to record a double-double. Ariana Covington and Becky Stehling also collected double-digit kills with 13 and 10, respectively. Covington led the Lions in hitting percentage with a .435 clip. Sophomore Renee Horton dished-out a team-best 29 assists in the loss.

Krista Kelley paced the Santa Clara offense with 14 kills at a .267 pace. Nina Sevastopoulos contributed 11 kills, while Brittany Lowe notched 10 in the victory. Lowe teamed the kill mark with 11 digs for a double-double. Lindsy Davigeadono turned-in 44 assists as Santa Clara hit .233 as a team over the course of the match.

LMU took set one of the match by a count of 25-17. Day posted a set-high six kills on seven attacks for an unbelievable .714 clip. LMU came out swinging in the set, totaling a .409 hitting percentage. The two teams played to a 5-5 tie early before a SCU attack error and a Day kill forced a Bronco timeout at 12-8. The Lions advanced the lead to 17-11 before Santa Clara elected to take its second and final timeout of the set. After the Lions took an 18-12 lead, the Broncos rattled-off three unanswered points to run the tally to 18-15 and force an LMU timeout. The timeout served its purpose as LMU rebounded nicely to take the set to set point at 24-17 on another Day kill. With the 23rd team in the nation on the ropes, Santa Clara was called for a bad set to hand the Lions the victory.

Unfortunately for LMU, the first set would be the last it would win on the night. The Broncos turned it around in the second set and created a four-point edge on kills by Kelley and Anna Cmaylo, 6-2. Although the Lions rallied to bring the score within one, 7-6, the Broncos held the advantage and earned a six-point edge, 13-7, on back-to-back kills by Sevastopoulos. Santa Clara reached set-point on a kill by Kelley and a solid, solo block by Davigeadono brought the set to a close, 25-20.

Tied at 1-1, Santa Clara returned from the break and quickly earned a 9-3 lead on points from Lowe, Davigeadono and Cmaylo, and on LMU attacking errors. SCU compiled a 5-0 run mid-set beginning with a solo block by Lowe and ending with a solo block by Cmaylo. The Broncos led, 17-7. Although Santa Clara continued to push towards victory, Loyola Marymount fought hard to knot the score. The Broncos reached set-point on a Lions' attacking error, 24-14; but were held back by a short five-point rally. After a Santa Clara timeout, Sevastopoulos slammed the ball down to give SCU the 25-19 win.

The fourth and final set had a similar start as the third with Santa Clara jumping to an 8-2 lead. However, LMU began to fight back early on and brought the score within one, 12-11, on an SCU attack error. The Lions then tied the score and took a two-point lead on a block by Megan Nash and Day at 14-12. The two teams then battled point-for-point, tying the score five times before Santa Clara could regain the edge. The Broncos did so on a solo block by Sevastopoulos to run the tally to 20-18. The Lions came within one point on two occasions, but could not tie the score. Santa Clara posted four straight points to win the match on a service ace from Lowe, 25-20.

LMU returns to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. when they battle Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif.