Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Sarah Sponcil hit a blistering .727 with 17 kills on 22 attacks with just one error as LMU (13-6, 4-3 WCC) connected for a .387 hitting percentage en route to sweeping San Francisco (15-5, 2-5 WCC) by scores of 25-19, 25-17, 25-13 on Thursday night from Gersten Pavilion. The victory was LMU's fourth in as many matches.

In addition to the 17 kills, Sponcil also added two of LMU's five aces. Rachelle Suaava totaled 10 kills with a block solo and four block assists, guiding LMU to six team blocks. Hannah Tedrow set the attack to the high clip, dishing out 40 assists.

Sponcil wasted no time getting hot on Thursday, posting six kills on eight errorless attacks to guide the Lions to a 25-19 victory in set one. The Lion front line registered three team blocks in the opener, including a pair of block assists from Suaava and Jennifer Casillas. Though San Francisco kept the set close to 16-14, LMU won four straight from there, including two on back-to-back aces from Sponcil, to take a 20-14 lead. The six-point advantage held to 22-16 as Jamie Lea connected for a kill to force a USF timeout. The Lions eventually put the opener away on a kill from Casillas.

LMU came out swinging in the second, hitting .586 behind six kills apiece from Sponcil and Suaava. Sponcil, a native of Phoenix, Ariz. collected her six on seven errorless attacks. The two teams played even to 8-8, but LMU won three straight points on three attacks from Sponcil to take a lead it would not relinquish. A solo block from Suaava pushed the Lion lead to 13-9 and forced a Don timeout, but the break did little to slow LMU's momentum, as the Lions extended the lead to six at 16-10 on an attack error by USF. The Lions reached the 20-point plateau still carrying the six-point advantage at 20-14, and finished the set on a 5-0 run, capped by a Suaava kill.

LMU never trailed in the third, winning the first three points and earning the sweep by way of a lopsided 25-13 victory in the finale. Sponcil posted her final five kills in the third, while Kekai Whitford served up a pair of aces to guide LMU to victory. The Dons were forced into timeouts at 9-4 and 16-9, with a Sponcil kill forcing the latter. The Lions pushed the lead to eight points at 18-10 on a Casillas kill, and kept that advantage to 20-12 on a kill from Tedrow. That kill was part of a 5-0 run for LMU that saw it move from 19-12 to match-point at 24-12 on a block from Suaava and Tedrow. Although a kill from Katarina Pilepic extended the match one point, Pilepic dropped back to serve and erred long on the ensuing play, handing LMU the sweep.

The Lions will return to action on Saturday when they host Santa Clara at Noon in WCC play.