Nov. 16, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
BRIEFLY...
Having completed its home schedule for the season, LMU (12-14, 3-9) will hit the road for its final three matches, beginning with the final two matches of WCC play this week in Northern California. The Lions will square-off against San Francisco (12-13, 6-6) on Thursday night before meeting Santa Clara (15-12, 5-7) on Saturday afternoon. Both matches this week will be provided via Gametracker and video stream at LMULions.com.
TOP OF THE CLASS...
Redshirt-freshman Alaina Bergsma has not only held her own in the competitive and extremely talented West Coast Conference, she is also making a name for herself on the national level. Bergsma enters the week ranked 14th in the nation, and first amongst her freshmen counterparts, in kills per set at 4.47. The closest freshman player in that category this year is Tulsa's Tyler Henderson at 4.45. The national leader is Siena senior Burgandy McCurty at 5.47 kills per set. Bergsma is also tied for sixth in the nation amongst freshmen players in aces per set with 37 aces at a rate of .40 per set. The native of Chandler, Ariz. is the LMU team-leader in attacks (1,092), kills (416), service aces (37), block solos (17), and points (487). So far this year, she has been named a CVU.com National Top Performer twice, a WCC Co-Player of the Week on November 9, the 2009 TCU Nike/Molten Invitational Tournament MVP, and an All-Tournament selection four times.
LION TRACKS...
LMU dropped its final home match of the season, and its only match last week, on Friday night to cross-town rival Pepperdine in Gersten Pavilion. The Waves earned the 3-1 victory, and 1.5 points for a road win in the PCH Challenge standings, by a count of 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-11. Freshman Alaina Bergsma once again led the Lion attack with 12 kills on 53 attacks. Her best mark came in LMU's third-set victory, as she posted five kills on 18 swings. The native of Chandler, Ariz. teamed the kills mark with 16 digs to record another double-double. Sophomore Ariana Covington and freshman Kenna Crouse chipped-in 11 kills in their own right, but it was not enough for the Lions over the course of the match. Covington joined Bergsma as one of two Lions with a double-double, collecting 10 digs to accompany the 11 kills. Freshman Nikki Lane made her first collegiate appearance, starting at setter for the Lions and dishing-out 28 assists. LMU hit just .133 as a team over the course of the four sets, allowing a .285 mark on the other side of the net.
Kim Hill led all players with an efficient 14 kills on just 28 attacks for a stellar .464 hitting percentage for Pepperdine. Even better in terms of percentage, Victoria Adelhelm connected at a .476 clip with 10 kills on 21 attacks and no errors. Rachel Grochmal added 12 kills of her own to help Pepperdine to the win. Senior Kiah Fiers continued her solid play at the setter position, collecting 40 assists, six digs and two block assists. Grochmal (12 kills and 14 digs) and Caitlin Racich (10 kills and 12 digs) each collected double-doubles in the win.
DiG PiNK...
For the past several years, NCAA women's volleyball programs across the country have done their part in the battle against breast cancer. LMU continued its involvement with its "DiG PiNK" match on Saturday, October 24 against San Francisco in Gersten Pavilion. This year marked the third consecutive year that LMU hosted a match to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Donations, which will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, can be made on-line by visiting LMU's team page at www.side-out.org/application/teams/team_page/1213. So far, LMU has raised more than 1,800 dollars.
PCH CHALLENGE...
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have come together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge. The series will serve as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference. LMU and Pepperdine will be represented by 12 of their intercollegiate athletic teams through both regular and post-season competitions over the course of the academic calendar. Teams scheduled to compete head-to-head during the regular season include baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis (if scheduled) and women's volleyball. Any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur. The remaining programs (men's and women's cross country, women's swimming and diving, men's golf) - in addition to women's tennis (if the teams do not meet head-to-head at any point) will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships. The next scheduled meeting between the two schools is slated for Saturday, January 9 as the Lions travel to Pepperdine for a women's basketball game at 4 p.m. The Waves currently lead the Lions in the standings, 4-3.5, after earning 1.5 points for a road victory in volleyball on November 13. To learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visit http://www.lmulions.com/trads/PCH-Cup.html.
FOLLOW THE LIONS ONLINE...
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions). All LMU home matches, and the majority of the matches on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker. In addition, in conjunction with Stretch Internet and Lions' All-Access, all LMU home matches will be broadcast with both audio and video live online at www.LMULions.com. Just visit the Lion volleyball page, click on schedule, and click on the links located on the right side of the schedule for that particular match. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.
INSIDE THE LIONS...
"Inside the Lions" is a special look into LMU Athletics and its student-athletes in a 10 to 15 minute show hosted by a student-athlete, sophomore men's basketball guard Jarred DuBois. Airing roughly twice a month, the show highlights a student-athlete and gives an inside look to why LMU is such a special place. In addition, highlights from top games and other game day features are within the show. Take a look at the newest show or past shows at LMULions.com. It's all here thanks to Lions' All-Access.
LMU SPORTS WEEKLY...
LMU's weekly podcast show, LMU Sports Weekly, is hosted by Jesse Kass. The show features radio highlights and recaps from recent games, interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and previews of upcoming events. All shows are now online at LMULions.com. Fans can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. Just search "LMU" in the iTunes Store.
COMING TO A GAME?...
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year in Gersten Pavilion. LMU will host 14 home matches this season, including six matches during LMU's Crowne Plaza LAX Tournament from September 11-12. To reserve your tickets today, please contact the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. Tickets are also available at the Ticket Office prior to the start of the match. 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.
ACE, ACE, BABY...
LMU enters the week ranked first in the WCC in aces per set (1.29) and total number of aces (124). Leading the charge for LMU is freshman Alaina Bergsma, who leads the WCC in total aces (37) and is tied for first in aces per set with .40. Collecting a season-high 11 aces against Gonzaga on November 5, the Lions have posted 10 or more aces in a single match on four different occasions this year, including the match against the Bulldogs, back-to-back matches against TCU (10) and Idaho (10) on August 29 and September 4, and September 15 versus Cal State Northridge (10). The Lions have managed three or more aces in 20 of their 26 matches this season, and have been held to no aces just twice, at Pepperdine on October 17 and at Saint Mary's on October 29.
Wednesday's men's basketball game versus UC Irvine and Friday's women's basketball game versus UC Irvine are this week's "Team LMU" events. "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games. To view more information about the current and future "Team LMU" events, please visit www.LMULions.com/teamlmu.
