Sept. 10, 2010

Box Score

PROVO, Utah - LMU (4-3) opened play at the BYU Molten Classic on Friday night by dropping a five-set decision to the host Cougars (3-4), 17-25, 28-26, 22-25, 25-22, 15-7. The Lions and BYU battled throughout the night, as the two teams played to 31 tie scores and 11 lead changes.

A balanced attack from Jasmine Rankins, Felicia Arriola and freshman Alyse Hensley wasn't enough as a trio of Cougars with 14 kills helped BYU to the victory. Rankins posted a match-best 21 kills on 77 swings, while Arriola posted 16 kills on 44 attacks. Hensley was the most impressive Lion attacker on the night, notching 14 kills on 26 swings for a team-best .423 hitting percentage. Rankins and Arriola both posted double-doubles, as Arriola managed 17 digs to Rankins' 15. Setter Olivia Bailey dished-out 54 assists as the Lions hit .143 over the course of the five sets. Freshman Betsi Metter led all players with 22 digs, while also serving-up a match-best four service aces.

Stephanie Snow provided efficient offense for BYU, connecting at a .542 clip with 14 kills on 24 attacks. Jennifer Hamson and Christie Carpenter also posted 14 kills, with Hamson teaming that mark with 16 digs for a double-double. Kiana Rogers also managed a double-double, passing-out 42 helpers and sporting 13 digs.

LMU took the first set by a count of 25-17, guided by six kills on 11 attacks from Arriola. The Lions hit .289 and Metter served-up one of her four aces. Hensley also made an impact, connecting for the first of back-to-back four-kill sets.

The Cougars evened the tally at one set apiece after winning a well-fought battle, 28-26. The two teams played to 11 tie scores and saw three lead changes in the period, but Hamson's five kills on 14 attacks led BYU to the victory. Rankins provided a set-best six kills for LMU, but the Lions hit just .078 as a team. BYU managed just a .156 clip on the other side of the net, and Metter did all she could to keep the ball off the floor, posting 11 digs in the second set alone.

LMU took a lead in the match score in the third, earning a 25-22 decision, highlighted by five kills from Rankins and three team service aces. Hensley and senior Becky Stehling both picked-up a pair of kills in the period. Carpenter helped BYU to out-hit the Lions in the period, .222-.212, by posting five kills on 10 swings, but it wasn't enough as the Lions pushed one step closer to a potential match victory.

BYU ensured a five-set match with a 25-22 victory in set four. Rankins led all players with six kills, but four from Hamson and three more from Carpenter and Snow guided the Cougars to the set. Metter served-up two more aces in the period, and Arriola connected for four kills, but LMU once again hit for a low percentage, posting a .111 mark.

In the only set that did not feature a lead change or a tie score, BYU raced to a 15-7 set-five victory to take the match. The Cougars hit .350, their highest clip of the night, highlighted by a pair of kills from Carpenter, Snow and Hamson. Arriola was a bright spot for the Lions, who hit .000 as a team, connecting for three kills on as many attacks. The Lions continued to go to Rankins for attacks in the fifth, but the junior managed just one kill on 10 attacks in the period.

The Lions continue play at the BYU Molten Classic tomorrow at 11 a.m. PT when they square-off against Wichita State. The Lions are 4-0 so far this year in neutral contests.