Nov. 18, 2010

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Click here for an interview with Jasmine Rankins

LMU (15-14, 6-7 WCC) forced a fifth set after dropping the first two, but could not complete the comeback over Saint Mary's (19-7, 11-2) on Thursday night in Gersten Pavilion. The Lions dropped the match 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 15-8.

Junior Jasmine Rankins was impressive on Thursday, posting a match-best 27 kills with just eight errors. She did not commit her first error until the third set of play. The native of Oceanside, Calif. managed a double-double, teaming the 27 kills with a team-best 16 digs. Sophomore Olivia Bailey dished-out a match-high 53 assists, teaming that mark with 13 digs for a double-double. The Lions hit .226 as a team and held Saint Mary's to a .201 mark on the other side of the net. Normally a dominant team from the service area, LMU managed just one ace and served-up 13 errors. Freshman Alyse Hensley also finished with double-digit kills, posting 14 on 27 swings for a .333 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kenna Crouse hit for a .364 percentage, notching five kills with just one error on 11 attacks.

Lauren Corp led the way for Saint Mary's, totaling 20 kills on 45 attacks. Shannon Lowell was efficient and impressive, connecting for a .364 clip with 12 kills on 22 attacks. Three different Gael player collected double-doubles, including Jordan Shaw (13 kills/15 digs), Kapua Kamana'o (33 assists/12 digs) and Missy White (17 assists/11 digs). Megan York led all players with 17 digs on Thursday.

Despite outhitting Saint Mary's, .206-.189, LMU came up short in the first set, 25-19. Hensley had four kills on five swings in the first, while Rankins had three on 10. A close set early, LMU and Saint Mary's played to six tie scores and three lead changes. The two teams played even to nine before Saint Mary's earned a 15-12 lead on a York kill. The lead stretched to 19-14 on a Lowell service ace as Saint Mary's cruised the rest of the way to a 25-19 victory.

Saint Mary's never trailed in the second set, but LMU made things interesting late in the set. The Gaels, who took the period by a count of 25-22, were led by Corp with six kills on 12 swings. Shaw managed five kills of her own as Saint Mary's hit .250 over the course of the set. Rankins came unglued in the period, managing 10 of her 27 kills in the second set alone. Trailing 13-7 early, LMU cut the deficit to 17-14 on a kill from Rankins and a Corp attack error. After Saint Mary's extended the lead to 21-17, LMU went on a three-point swing to cut the lead to one at 21-20. Unfortunately for the Lions, Saint Mary's would manage to regain composure en route to taking the set on a bad set charged to Crouse.

Rankins and Becky Stehling each had four kills in the third set, as the Lions managed to earn a victory at 25-21. The key to victory proved to be holding Saint Mary's to a measly .077 hitting percentage in the period. Lowell had six kills, but it wasn't enough to prevent a fourth set. Another close set, the two teams played to seven tie scores and three lead changes. LMU and Saint Mary's played even to 14 before LMU scored each of the next three points to force a Saint Mary's timeout. A Rankins kill and ace gave LMU a 22-17 cushion before Shaw committed an attack error to hand LMU its 25th and final point.

The Lions managed to force a fifth and decisive set by taking the fourth by a count of 25-22. Rankins connected for nine kills in the fourth as LMU hit .389 in the period. Hensley and Stehling each had four kills as the Lions held the Gaels to a .212 mark. The two teams were actually tied as late as 20-20 as they played to six tie scores and two lead changes. LMU won three straight points after the stalemate at 20, claiming a 23-20 lead. Rankins connected for the final kill of the set to force a fifth period.

Saint Mary's saved its best set for last, hitting an impressive .471 en route to the 15-8 victory. Shaw had three kills on four swings to lead the way, while LMU hit for a .000 percentage. The set was tied at five before the Gaels scored three straight points to take an 8-5 advantage. That lead stretched to 11-7 before Saint Mary's scored four of the final five points of the match to earn the victory.

LMU concludes the 2010 season on Saturday when it hosts No. 14 San Diego on Senior Day.