Box Score Sept. 6, 2014 Box Score
The LMU volleyball team (5-0) hit a blistering .440, guided by senior
Caitlin DeWitt with 12 kills on 17 errorless attacks for a .706 clip, en route to sweeping Sacramento State (2-4) by scores of 25-14, 25-13, 25-21 at the Sacramento State Invitational on Saturday. LMU hit .345 in the first, .577 in the second, and .414 in the third.
DeWitt, a native of Casper, Wyo., teamed the match-best 12 kills with six digs and two block assists. Senior Litara Keil also had an outstanding match on Saturday afternoon, logging nine kills (9-1/15) and a .533 hitting percentage to go along with five service aces, a block solo and two block assists. The five aces are tied for ninth in the LMU record book for a three-set match. Junior Hannah Tedrow set the attack to the stellar percentage, dishing out 36 assists with six digs, two block solos and two block assists. The Lion blocking game was on point over the course of the sweep, registering 12 total team blocks, while LMU also had nine aces.
Sac State hit just .153 over the course of the match, paced by seven kills from Madeline Cannon. With the .440 team hitting percentage, LMU is now hitting .350 over the first five matches of the year.
DeWitt registered five of her 12 kills in the first set of the match, as LMU and Sac State played close into the middle of the set. Even at 10, LMU went on a six-point run to 16-10 that was highlighted by a pair of aces from Keil. Three straight kills from DeWitt allowed LMU, which also registered seven total team blocks, to advance the lead to 19-11 before freshman Jennifer Casillas eventually put the set away with one of her three match kills.
The Lions cruised to a victory in the second set as DeWitt connected for four kills on as many attacks to guide LMU to a .577 hitting percentage. Freshman Sarah Sponcil, who registered seven kills on 18 attacks, served up two aces in the second, while Keil posted three kills on six attacks. LMU went on another strong run early in the second to blow the set wide open, scoring seven straight points from 6-4 to 13-4.
The third set proved to be the closest of the trio, but LMU still managed to hit .414 as a team while allowing a .303 clip for Sac State. Keil and Sponcil each contributed four kills in the finale, while DeWitt and Rachelle Suaava each had three, including the three on as many attacks for DeWitt. For the third time in the match, LMU strung together an impressive run of points, this time scoring six unanswered to claim an early 9-3 advantage. That six-point advantage held until 21-15, but a three-point run from Sac State made things interesting down the stretch. The Hornets managed to claw within one point at 22-21 on a Keil attack error, but Sponcil then returned to the match, collecting a kill and serving the next two points for the Lions, including the match-winning kill from Keil.
LMU will look to stay unbeaten later today when it meets Fresno State at 5 pm.
