Box Score Sept. 5, 2014 Box Score
The LMU volleyball team (4-0) stayed perfect on Friday afternoon at the Sacramento State Invitational, earning a sweep over UCSB (0-4) by scores of 25-21, 25-13, 25-21 in a neutral match played on Sac State's Colberg Court. The match was the first match away from home for the Lions.
Senior Caitlin DeWitt, who earned MVP honors at the Concourse Hotel at LAX Classic hosted by LMU last weekend, picked up right where she left off, totaling a match-high 19 kills on 33 swings with four block assists for a .424 hitting percentage. The native of Casper, Wyo. guided LMU to a .351 hitting percentage as a team off the hand of setter Hannah Tedrow with 35 assists. Freshman Sarah Sponcil continued a stellar start to her LMU career on Friday, managing nine kills on 20 attacks to accompany three of LMU's six service aces. Senior Litara Keil chipped in two aces of her own, while also collecting three block assists. The Lions managed six total team blocks as the Gauchos were limited to a .196 team hitting percentage. Freshman libero Kristen Castellanos led all players with 12 digs, while she also served up an ace and collected a rare kill.
UCSB was led by Britton Taylor with 10 kills on 25 swings. Taylor also managed three block assists as the Gauchos teamed for five total blocks during the match.
The Lions seemingly had the first set under control in the opening minutes, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead behind an ace from Castellanos and a Keil kill. A Sponcil kill made it 6-2 before UCSB committed a pair of attacking errors that allowed LMU, which hit.400 in the opening period, to reach 10 points at 10-6, part of a four-point run that saw the Lions open up a six-point advantage at 12-6 and forced a UCSB timeout. Another Sponcil kill, one of six for the freshman in the set, pushed LMU to a 15-11 advantage, but a kill from Chanel Hoffman and two from Jaylen Villanueva allowed the Gauchos to slide within one at 15-14 and force the first Lion timeout of the match. UCSB ultimately drew even with the Lions at 16 on an Ali Barbeau kill, sending the two teams into a see-saw battle down the stretch. With the set even at 21 apiece, LMU went on a four-point run to close the period, highlighted by a pair of blocks from DeWitt and Keil to force set point at 24-21. Keil finished off the period on the ensuing play, finding the floor for the third time in the set to hand LMU the opener.
LMU had no trouble taking the 2-0 lead in the match score, holding UCSB to a .074 clip in the second en route to earning the set by a score of 25-13. The Lions pounced on the Gauchos out of the gates, scoring the first seven points of the period, including three by way of aces from Sponcil, to claim a lead they would not relinquish. Back-to-back kills from DeWitt made it 10-2 as LMU eventually increased the lead to 12 at 17-5 on a kill from Rachelle Suaava and a ball-handling error charged to the Gauchos. After a Keil kill pushed LMU to the 20-point plateau at 20-12, DeWitt and Amber Mirabello teamed for a block to highlight LMU's run to the finish that was capped by DeWitt's sixth kill of the set.
Another fast start from the Lions in the third managed to put UCSB into a hole it could not climb out of the rest of the way, as LMU won the first four points of the finale, and six of the first seven, highlighted by a pair of kills from DeWitt and a service ace from Keil. DeWitt finished the third with nine kills on 17 attacks, guiding the way for the Lions. A pair of Gaucho attack errors, including one by way of a block from Suaava and Keil, allowed LMU to advance the lead to 10-3, as LMU continued to coast toward the sweep. Villanueva erred on an attack a few points later as LMU held a six-point lead at 15-9. Kills from Sponcil, Keil and Tedrow pushed LMU to a 21-13 advantage and forced a Gaucho timeout. UCSB refused to surrender without a fight on Friday, going on a five-point run late and clawing back to within two points at 22-20 and forcing the hand of fifth-year head coach Tom Black. LMU's game plan out of the timeout proved clear, as the Lions set DeWitt the rest of the way. The senior certainly answered the call, connecting for the final three Lion points via the kill and handing LMU its fourth straight sweep to open the 2014 season.
LMU will return to action at the Sacramento State Invitational on Saturday, squaring-off against host Sac State at 12:30 pm. The Lions will then close out tournament play with a match against Fresno State at 5 pm.
