Sept. 10, 2011

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Sophomore Alyse Hensley collected a match-high tying 10 kills, but LMU (5-4) suffered its second straight sweep on Saturday as Houston (6-3) defeated the Lions by scores of 25-20, 25-23, 25-20. The loss, which is LMU's first on neutral ground this year, finishes play for LMU at the 2011 UK Invitational being hosted by Kentucky over the weekend.

Hensley hit .304 and committed just three errors on 23 attacks. She was joined atop the Lion attack by seniors Jasmine Rankins and Emily Cheek. Rankins finished with nine kills, while Cheek managed eight. Olivia Bailey dished-out 24 assists to go along with 13 digs to post a double-double, while Betsi Metter continued to collect digs at a stellar rate, notching a match-best 17 over the three sets to push her average to 4.07 digs per set. LMU played fairly well on the block, collecting eight total team blocks, led by four block assists from Kenna Crouse. As is normal for LMU, the Lions posted a healthy six service aces in the three sets, including a pair each from Metter and Caitlin DeWitt.

Lucy Charuk matched Hensley's output of 10 kills, doing so on 18 swings for a .444 percentage. Houston hit .226 as a team as Caitlin Ogletree passed-out 34 assists to go along with a service ace. Stephanie Nwachukwu and Katie Norris aided the Houston offense, contributing eight kills apiece.

Despite Hensley posting five kills on nine attacks in the first, LMU hit .054 en route to dropping the first set, 25-20. Ingrida Zauere and Charuk each had four kills for Houston as the Cougars hit .243. The Lions never led in the first set, but trailed by no more than four points all the way to 21-17. The Lions and Cougars were knotted at 12 apiece nearly halfway through the set, but Houston went on a three-point run from 20-17 to 23-17 to take control late in the set. After a kill from Katie Norris handed Houston set point at 24-19, Zauere found the floor for the fourth time two points later to close the period.

LMU served-up five aces in the second set, in addition to receiving three kills from four different players, but still fell in a close set, 25-23, after hitting .089. Chandace Tryon had four kills on nine attacks in the second to help Houston to a .178 hitting percentage. The two teams played to nine tie scores and five lead changes in the set, including a tie score as late as 19-19. The Lions trailed by just one point late at 23-22 before the teams traded blows to 24-23, capped by a kill from Rankins. With set point in favor of the Cougars, Charuk took a ball from Ogletree and posted her third and final kill of the set to advance the match lead to 2-0.

Houston completed the sweep of LMU in the third set, receiving five kills from Nwachukwu and four more from Norris. LMU improved its hitting percentage to .152 in the period, but the Lions never led en route to the 25-20 setback. After playing even to five points, Houston took a lead it would not relinquish. The Cougars reached 10 points on a kill from Norris before advancing the lead to 16-11 on back-to-back Lion attack errors. Two more Lion attack errors handed Houston its 20th and 21st points, stretching the lead to a set-high eight points at 21-13. Although the Lions made a push late, scoring seven of the final 11 points, the deficit was too much as LMU fell 25-20.

The Lions will return to action next weekend when they travel to Stockton, Calif. for a tournament at the University of Pacific starting on Friday at 10 a.m. against UC Riverside.