Sept. 26, 2011

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Loyola Marymount University celebrates its Centennial in 2011-12, and LMU Athletics will be honoring 100 years of history all season. Each of LMU's NCAA Division I programs will be hosting a Centennial Game to honor LMUat100, which included more than 900 fans at the Sept. 10 men's water polo game against Pepperdine in the Wells Fargo PCH Cup. Up next is the women's volleyball match against conference newcomer BYU on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. Leading up to the match, LMULions.com will take a look back at some of the memorable moments from women's volleyball's storied history. Today's look back features the three straight WCC Championships won by LMU from 1994-96.

The LMU volleyball program has seen a tremendous amount of success since its inception, including 10 trips to the postseason, but LMU absolutely dominated the West Coast Conference from 1994-96. The Lions won the WCC in each of those three years, including posting a 40-2 (.952) conference record during the three-year stretch. Back-to-back perfect 14-0 records in WCC play during the 1995 and 1996 seasons highlighted the impressive run through the conference. In all, LMU won 34 straight WCC matches from November 12, 1994 (a victory over Pepperdine) through October 10, 1997 (a victory over San Francisco).

LMU began the incredible string of three straight WCC Championships by winning its second-ever crown in 1994. The Lions won their first Conference Championship in 1986 by finishing 10-2 under Head Coach Nancy Fortner. Now competing under Head Coach Steve Stratos, the 1994 squad finished with a 19-10 overall record and a 12-2 mark in the WCC. The Lions appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history that year, losing to host Arizona in first-round action.

The successful 1994 campaign only proved to be the beginning for LMU, as it won its second consecutive WCC championship in 1995. The Lions finished the year with a 24-5 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in conference action. The perfect run through the WCC marked the first time in program history that a team had gone unblemished through league play. The Lions appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, and third time overall, falling to Oral Roberts in five sets at home in the first round.

The Lions concluded their back-to-back-to-back WCC Championships in 1996 by finishing with a 26-3 overall record and another perfect 14-0 mark in the WCC. The Lions once again advanced to the NCAA Tournament, this time earning a first-round bye before defeating UC Santa Barbara in four sets to earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament's Pacific Regional Semifinals. There, LMU's season came to an end after dropping a hard-fought match to Washington State in four sets.

More information on LMU History:
• LMU Volleyball Media Almanac
• 1994 Results/Stats • 1994 Roster • 1995 Results/Stats • 1995 Roster • 1996 Results/Stats • 1996 Roster

More on LMUat100:
• Centennial Game Schedule • Athletics LMUat100 Homepage • LMUat100 Homepage