Box Score | 2015 NCAA Tournament First Round

Postmatch Quotes

Beginning its third NCAA Tournament run in the last four years at Stanford, the LMU women's volleyball team (23-8) advanced to the second round of play on Thursday night following a four-set victory over #13 Colorado State (26-4). The Lions defeated the Rams by scores of 25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 25-15, and will play #6 Stanford on Friday night at 7 pm PT.

Senior Amber Mirabello led the way for the Lions, collecting 12 kills on 23 swings with just five errors to hit .304. Senior Hannah Tedrow recorded 43 assists and an ace, as the Lions posted seven aces on the night. Junior Jamie Lea also collected double-digit kills, amassing 12 to accompany a pair of block assists. Mirabello not only led the way on the attack, she also posted three block assists to help LMU to seven team blocks.

Alex Reid led all players with 15 kills for Colorado State, hitting .464 in the losing effort. A solid blocking team, CSU managed 12 team blocks, including seven block assists from Alexandra Poletto.

The Lions led virtually the entire way in the first set, earning the 25-20 decision to open the match. Sarah Sponcil and Lea each had four kills as the Lions hit .300 as a team. The LMU serving game also showed well in the opener as Rachelle Suaava and Avery Bush each had an ace - including Bush's ace to push LMU to set-point at 24-20. After playing even to 5-5, LMU won five straight points, including an ace from Suaava, to open up a 10-5 lead and force a CSU timeout. The five-point advantage continued to 16-11 following a pair of Ram attack errors before Lea connected on a kill to push LMU to the 20-point plateau at 20-15. CSU managed one final run in the first set, cutting the deficit to two at 20-18 on a kill from Jasmine Hanna, but LMU won five of the final seven points to earn the opener, with the final point coming on LMU's lone block of the first - a block from Suaava and Sponcil.

It was all CSU in the second, as the Rams came out swinging en route to a .577 hitting percentage. Hanna and Reid each had four kills in the second, while Colorado State accumulated four team blocks, including two block assists apiece from Adrianna Culbert, Acacia Andrews and Poletto. The Lions held even to 4-4 early, but the Rams slowly built a four-point lead at 15-11 on a Culbert kill. A block from Culbert and Andrews pushed the lead to seven at 19-12 and forced LMU's final timeout. The break did little to slow CSU's momentum, as another Ram block advanced the set to set-point at 24-15 before a Lion service error evened the match at one set apiece.

Tied at 17-17, LMU took control of the swing set late, winning five straight points, including points on a kill from Sara Kovac and an ace from Bush, to take a 22-17 lead. Suaava, who had five kills in the period, finished a stellar third set by recording her final two kills of the period to hand LMU the 2-1 lead in the match by way of a 25-19 victory. The Lions hit .393 in the set while limiting CSU to just .069 hitting, highlighted by a pair of Lion blocks.

Despite hitting just .161 in the fourth, LMU ran away with the period and the victory after posting four aces and three blocks. Sponcil posted a pair of aces, while Tedrow highlighted the blocking effort with a block solo. Lea finished the match strong, posting four of her 12 match kills to go along with a block solo. LMU jumped out to an early 11-5 lead on a Tedrow ace before pushing forward to 16-8 on a kill from Suaava. Lea collected point 20 for LMU with a kill before a Colorado State service error handed LMU a match point chance at 24-15. The Lions wasted no time putting the match away, setting Mirabello for the final time and a kill.

The victory was the first NCAA Tournament victory for the Lions since defeating Cal State Northridge on December 5, 2003.

LMU will advance to play #6 Stanford on Friday. Friday's match, which will be played at Stanford's Maples Pavilion, is scheduled for a 7 pm first serve.