Box Score

The LMU volleyball team (21-5, 9-5 WCC) exacted revenge over #25 Santa Clara (20-8, 10-5 WCC) on Thursday night on the road at Santa Clara's Leavey Center. The Lions recorded a sweep over the Broncos by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-21. With the victory, LMU split the season series with the Broncos as Santa Clara is the only team this year to beat LMU in Gersten Pavilion.

Senior Litara Keil had an outstanding match in guiding LMU to the victory, finishing with 17 kills on 26 attacks with only three errors for a .538 hitting percentage. The native of Long Beach, Calif. also registered four block assists. LMU hit .303 as a team receiving sets from junior Hannah Tedrow, who finished with 40 assists, eight digs and three block assists.

Nikki Hess guided the Santa Clara attack with 15 kills on 35 attacks with only three errors for a .343 hitting percentage. The Broncos, who hit .217 as a team, did post eight blocks in the loss. The WCC's top serving team, entering the match averaging 1.86 aces per set, collected just one ace and served up six errors over the three sets.

LMU, which hit .267 in the first behind six kills on 10 swings from Keil, played well down the stretch en route to stealing the opening set, 25-20. The Lions actually trailed 18-17 late, but after a timeout, battled back to even at 18 and 19 before rattling off three unanswered points, highlighted by kills from Amber Mirabello and Keil, to take a 22-19 lead. After Kristen Castellanos, who managed one of LMU's four service aces in the first, erred on her next serve to hand the ball back to Santa Clara, Sarah Sponcil and Keil responded with kills to force set point at 24-20. Avery Bush dropped back to serve and promptly delivered LMU's fourth and final ace of the set, capping a 6-1 run to close the period and handing LMU the 1-0 match lead.

Keil was back at it again in the second, collecting six more kills on seven errorless attacks as LMU hit .364 en route to earning a 25-21 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match score. The Lions also managed four blocks, including three block assists from Keil and two from Tedrow. LMU held a comfortable five-point lead throughout the bulk of the second before eventually stretching the advantage to six at 23-17 on a block from Keil and Caitlin DeWitt. After Keil connected on her final kill of the period to hand LMU a set-point chance at 24-19, Mirabello eventually put the set away with her third second-set kill.

Capping off a stellar match, Keil went for five kills on nine attacks in the third as LMU came from behind and made a late run to earn the sweep. Sponcil also finished strong, collecting four kills on nine attacks as LMU hit .278 to close the match. The final set featured eight tie scores and four lead changes, as LMU trailed by as many as four points as late as 13-9. The Lions erased the deficit and took a lead by way of a 6-1 run that featured a kill from DeWitt and a pair of Santa Clara errors, leaving the tally at 15-14 in favor of LMU and forcing a Santa Clara timeout. The two teams traded blows all the way to even at 19 before a pair of Keil kills and a ball handling error charged to Kirsten Mead allowed LMU to go on a three-point run to take a 22-19 lead it would not relinquish. Kills from DeWitt and Mirabello allowed the Lions to push forward to match point at 24-20 before Sabrina Clayton had her final attack of the night sail into the net for an error that handed LMU the sweep.

LMU, which has won four straight matches, including three straight by way of the sweep, will return to action on Saturday when it travels to San Francisco for a match at 1 p.m.