Sept. 17, 2010

Box Score

LOGAN, Utah - The LMU volleyball team (5-6) snapped a four-match skid by sweeping UC Riverside (1-10) on Friday at the Utah State Invitational. The Lions earned the sweep by scores of 25-23, 25-18, 25-17.

Junior Jasmine Rankins posted a match-high 11 kills with three service aces to pace the Lions. The native of Oceanside, Calif. narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs. Freshman Betsi Metter continued to pad her lead in the aces department, serving-up four more against the Highlanders. Sophomore Felicia Arriola hit for an efficient .348 percentage, posting nine kills on 23 attacks. She nearly collected a double-double in the three-set affair, managing a match-high 14 digs. Sophomore Olivia Bailey hit .444 with four kills and 34 assists from the setter position, helping LMU to a .323 team hitting percentage.

A trio of Highlander players posted nine kills in the match, including Savannah Thomas with nine on 19 swings for a .474 hitting percentage. Shelby LeDuff also hit for a high percentage, posting a .400 mark with nine kills. Nearly as impressive as a team, UC Riverside hit .312 in the loss.

Rankins came out scorching in the first set, posting seven of her 11 kills in the set. Metter and Rankins both notched a service ace in the period as the Lions hit .278 as a team. The Lions never trailed in the set despite being out-hit, .312-.278.

For the second straight period, UC Riverside posted a better hitting percentage than the Lions and came up short. Four Highlander players had three kills as the team hit .357, but five kills from Arriola, three aces from Metter and two more from Rankins proved enough to take the second set. The Lions, who hit .321 in the second, led the entire way in the period.

The two teams played to seven tie scores early in the third set, but LMU ran away with the match as the period evolved. The Lions, who hit .371 as a team, were led by senior Megan Nash, Rankins and Arriola with three kills apiece. After playing even to six, LMU got things going en route to claiming a 15-10 lead on a Rankins kill. The Lions continued to push the accelerator from there, running the advantage to 20-11 on an Alyse Hensley swing. After a Thomas kill for UCR at 23-17, LMU received three straight kills from Rankins, Bailey and Metter to take the match.

The Lions will conclude play at the Utah State Invitational on Saturday at 9 a.m. when they meet Utah Valley.