Sept. 24, 2014 LMU Volleyball on Facebook | | LMU Volleyball on Instagram
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#21 LMU at Pacific - Thursday 7:00 PM | Live Video | Live Stats
THIS WEEK
#21 LMU, which entered the national rankings for the first time since 2004 last week (#23), will carry a 12-0 record into West Coast Conference play this week, traveling to Pacific (11-2) on Thursday at 7 p.m. before playing at Saint Mary's (4-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m...live stats and video for the matches can be found at LMULions.com...
OFF TO A GOOD START
The LMU volleyball program entered the AVCA National Rankings for the first time since 2004 last week (#23), and currently holds the #21 ranking in the latest poll...LMU is 12-0 on the season, the best record to start a year in program history (previous: 10-0 | 2003)...prior to last week, LMU last sat in the polls 10 year ago, sporting a #20 ranking on September 13, 2004...this week marks the 107th time that LMU has been included in the Top-25...the Lions have posted a number of big victories this year, including defeating UCLA (currently ranked #20 in the nation), UCSB and Long Beach State, who all received votes in the preseason poll...the Lions are 2-0 against the perennially-powerful Pac-12, defeating Washington State to go along with the victory over UCLA...LMU is one of three West Coast Conference teams in this week's poll, as BYU sits at #11 and San Diego owns a #24 ranking...LMU, which has posted eight sweeps this year, opened the season with five straight sweeps, meeting that standard for the first time since 1997 (five straight sweeps)...
LION TRACKS
LMU remained unbeaten last week, earning victories over Portland State, Idaho and Washington State to win the 2014 Washington State Cougar Challenge...after conclusion of play, LMU was rewarded with three All-Tournament selections, including Hannah Tedrow (Tournament MVP), Sarah Sponcil and Kristen Castellanos...over the three matches played, Tedrow collected 119 assists (11.90 per set) while managing a pair of aces and 31 digs (3.10 per set)...the native of Foothill Ranch, Calif. also added two block solos and three block assists as the Lions hit .296...for the tournament, Sponcil collected 34 kills on 86 attacks (3.40 per set) while hitting .291...the native of Phoenix, Ariz. teamed the kills with a service ace, 23 digs and four block assists...serving as LMU's libero, Castellanos totaled 42 digs (4.20 per set) and four aces...
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
LMU has earned a pair of West Coast Conference Player of the Week selections this year, with the most recent going to Hannah Tedrow on September 23...Tedrow was named WCC Player of the Week after earning Tournament MVP honors at the Washington State Cougar Challenge...over the three matches played, Tedrow collected 119 assists (11.90 per set) while managing a pair of aces and 31 digs (3.10 per set)...the native of Foothill Ranch, Calif. also added two block solos and three block assists as the Lions hit .296...she managed 30+ assists in all three matches, including 49 in the championship match against WSU...Tedrow also collected a double-double against Portland State (36 assists | 13 digs)...LMU's first WCC Player of the Week selection went to Caitlin DeWitt on September 8... DeWitt was named MVP of the Sacramento State Invitational after guiding LMU to perfect 3-0 mark at the tournament...she posted 49 kills (4.90 per set) with only eight errors on 83 attacks for a .482 hitting percentage over the three victories over UCSB, Sac State and Fresno State...she also managed eight block assists (0.80 blocks per set)...the Casper, Wyo. native posted 19 kills (.424 hitting percentage) with four block assists against UCSB to start tournament play on September 5 before registering 12 kills on 17 errorless attacks (.706) against the host Hornets on September 6...
WINS FOR THE AGES
LMU has managed a few streak-stopping victories early this year, most notably defeating UCLA and Long Beach State...prior to LMU's sweep of UCLA on 8/30, the Bruins had won seven straight matches over the Lions...the all-time series now stands at 10-2 in favor of UCLA, with LMU's only other victory coming on 12/4/86 (3-2)...eight of the 10 UCLA victories in the series have been sweeps...the Lions then recorded a victory over Long Beach State on 9/11, snapping a seven-match skid for the Lions against the 49ers...the last Lion victory over LBSU came on 9/10/94...the road victory for LMU was also the first over Long Beach State since 11/17/87...
ABOUT PACIFIC
Pacific enters West Coast Conference play sporting an 11-2 overall record having won eight straight matches...the Tigers most recently swept Mississippi State on the road on September 20...their only two losses have come at the hands of then-No. 5 USC (3-2 on August 30) and Oregon State (3-0 on September 5)...Lexi Elman paces the attack for the Tigers, totaling 155 kills (3.78 per set) on 412 attacks...Elman is also tied for the team lead in aces with 13, sharing the mark with Katrin Gotterba...Alicja Wilk and Gillian Howard are the main blockers for Pacific, registering 43 and 41 blocks, respectively...the Tigers are hitting .280 as a team receiving sets from Andie Shelton (289 assists) while posting 97 total blocks (2.20 per set)...Pacific is led by fifth-year head coach Greg Gibbons...
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home volleyball matches this year through Lion's All-Access...the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast...links to the video streams can be found at LMULions.com and on the LMU volleyball schedule page... in addition, thanks to TheW.tv, more than 75 West Coast Conference volleyball matches will be aired live and free of charge this season...the bulk of the schedule will feature contests produced by member institutions, including LMU road games at Pacific (9/25), Saint Mary's (9/27), Gonzaga (10/4), BYU (10/23), San Diego (10/25) and San Francisco (11/15)...
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
One of Southern California's premier athletic facilities, Albert Gersten Pavilion is in its 33rd year as home of the Loyola Marymount volleyball in 2014...since opening night, the Pavilion has become one of toughest places to play in the West Coast Conference...the volleyball Lions first moved into the facility in 1982, and recorded 14 wins in Gersten's inaugural season...since 1982, the Lions have posted an overall record of 279-147 (.655) in the friendly confines of the Pavilion...in conference play, the record is even more impressive with a 139-66 (.678) home record in WCC action...in 32 years, the 1996 (WCC volleyball championship team and Sweet Sixteen participant) and 2003 (NCAA second round appearance) squads have been the most successful with 14-1 marks, for .933 winning percentages...
SACRAMENTO STATE INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
The LMU volleyball team won the 2014 Sacramento State Invitational Tournament Championship from September 5-6, sweeping UCSB and host Sacramento State before taking down Fresno State in four sets...senior Caitlin DeWitt, junior Hannah Tedrow and freshman Sarah Sponcil were named to the All-Tournament team, with DeWitt claiming her second Tournament MVP honor of the year...DeWitt finished the tournament hitting .482 with 49 kills (4.90 per set) and only nine errors on 83 attacks to accompany 18 digs and eight block assists...Sponcil finished the three matches with 32 kills (3.20 per set) while hitting .406 on 69 swings to go along with five service aces, 22 digs and four block assists...setting the attack to a .403 team hitting percentage throughout the tournament, Tedrow managed 126 assists (12.60 per set) with seven kills, 17 digs and eight blocks (two solo and six block assists)...
CONCOURSE HOTEL AT LAX ALL-TOURNAMENT
A trio of Lions were recognized following the Concourse Hotel at LAX Classic to open the year, as senior Caitlin DeWitt was named Tournament MVP after guiding LMU to a 3-0 mark that included a victory over UCLA on Saturday night in the Championship Match...senior Litara Keil and junior setter Hannah Tedrow were also lauded, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team...DeWitt collected a team-best 31 kills at a rate of 3.44 per set as the Lions swept LIU Brooklyn, Binghamton and UCLA...the native of Casper, Wyo. connected at a .347 clip over 72 swings, teaming that mark with four aces and four blocks (one solo and three block assists)...DeWitt bookended her solid weekend with 11 kills apiece against LIU Brooklyn and UCLA...in each of the first two matches of the year against LIU Brooklyn and Binghamton, DeWitt hit better than .400 and posted a pair of aces...Keil finished the tournament having collected 18 kills on 38 swings while hitting .395...the native of Long Beach, Calif. had her best match of the tournament against UCLA, matching up against the Bruin size and posting four block solos and three block assists to accompany nine kills and two service aces...she finished the weekend with four service aces, six block solos and three block assists (1.29 blocks per set)...Tedrow set the Lion attack throughout the tournament, quarterbacking the Lions to a .321 hitting percentage over the course of the three matches...the native of Foothill Ranch, Calif. dished out 94 assists at a rate of 10.44 per set...she was also one of LMU's leading servers during the tournament, posting a team-high tying five aces to only one service error...
GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW
The Lions have had a knack for coming out of the gates strong in recent memory, having won 16 of their last 18 season-openers, including a sweep of LIU Brooklyn to open the 2014 season...the only losses over that span came in 2007 to St. John's and then-No. 10 USC in 2010...LMU has recorded 10 sweeps and won in four sets on five occasions...
SURVEY SAYS
According to the 10 West Coast Conference head coaches, the LMU women's volleyball team is tabbed to finish fifth in the WCC this year...BYU, which opens the season with a #9 ranking according to the AVCA, was chosen to win the 2014 West Coast Conference title...defending WCC Champion, San Diego, is picked to finish second after opening the year with a #13 preseason ranking according to the AVCA...
PICKED BEFORE THE SERVE
Senior Litara Keil was tabbed a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection after taking home honorable mention All-WCC honors for the second consecutive season last year...as a junior in 2013, Keil notched 354 kills at a rate of 3.50 per set while hitting .278...the kills mark was second-best on the squad, while her kills per set mark was eighth-best in the WCC...on the block, Keil posted four block solos and 73 block assists for a total of 77 blocks (0.76 blocks per set) to lead the team in all blocking categories...the native of Long Beach, Calif. reached double-digit kills in all but six matches last year...
HEADED TO THE HALL
The 1996 women's volleyball team will be inducted into the LMU Hall of Fame on February 21 as part of the 16th class to be inducted...the 1996 squad turned in the best season in program history, finishing 26-3 overall and reaching the Sweet Sixteen...they would also claim their third straight WCC crown that season with a perfect 14-0 WCC record, marking the first team in LMU history to win a trio of titles...the team roster that season included Suzanne Radcliffe, Heather Brooke (Vinck), Jessica Olivier, Tate Medley, Lydia Kniffin (Day), Tracy Duffey (Holman), Cindy Weglarz, Jeannette Hecker, Krista Del Colliano, Kim Blankinship, Alyssa Carbonetti-Bellevue, Sarah Sulentor (Noriega), Karissa Guthrie (Meith), Nelly Fullard-Leo (Weglarz), Head Coach Steve Stratos, and assistant coaches Larry Smoot and Erika Stevens...
@LMU_VOLLEYBALL ON TWITTER
For fans, parents and players interested in following LMU volleyball even closer this year, LMU volleyball will be tweeting under the handle @LMU_Volleyball...to get the inside look at LMU volleyball, make sure to follow @LMU_Volleyball on Twitter...
TOP OF THE CLASS
LMU's newest group of freshmen volleyball players was tabbed as the 24th-best recruiting class in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com prior to the 2014 season...the Lions, who garnered Highest Honorable Mention honors in PrepVolleyball's recruiting rankings entering the 2011 and 2012 seasons, were the only West Coast Conference team listed in the Top-30 this year...in order to determine the top recruiting classes, PrepVolleyball.com petitions a panel of college coaches from across the country to develop the list...according to the publication, "the Lions have topped some previously strong recruiting classes with perhaps their finest yet ... this class brings power, depth, ball control and a high volleyball IQ to a rising LMU squad."...
WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup...the series, which is in its sixth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference...any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur...for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships...LMU currently leads the 2014-15 standings, 1.5-0...Pepperdine has won the challenge in each of the first five seasons...to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/6n4l82s
U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
After completing his third year serving as LMU head volleyball coach in 2012, Tom Black accepted an assistant coach position under head coach Karch Kiraly with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team...Black will continue in his head coaching duties at LMU this year while serving on the Team USA staff before taking a sabbatical at LMU for the 2015 season...prior to being named an assistant coach, Black spent the previous three summers as a consultant coach for the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team as the squad prepared for the 2012 London Games...
LMU Volleyball Notes 
