Box Score Sept. 10, 2015 Box Score | Photo Gallery 
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Leading two sets to none, the LMU women's volleyball team (3-3) seemed poised to knock off Long Beach State (5-2) on Thursday night from Gersten Pavilion, but Long Beach won the third set and erased match point in the fourth en route to outlasting the Lions in a five-set thriller, 20-25, 21-25, 25-22, 26-24, 15-12, to open the LBSU/LMU Mizuno Invitational.
Sophomore Sarah Sponcil and senior Hannah Tedrow managed double-doubles in the loss, with Sponcil pairing 11 kills with 16 digs and three aces to record her sixth double-double in as many matches this year. Tedrow finished the match with a match-best 59 assists, three aces and 11 digs. Junior Jamie Lea matched LBSU's Nele Barber for the match-high in kills, registering 21 on 66 swings to go along with five block solos.
The Lions hit .400 over the first two sets, but eventually cooled down the stretch to finish with a .232 team mark. Rachelle Suaava continued to post solid numbers on the attack, hitting .483 with 18 kills on 29 swings with just four errors. She also added seven digs, two block solos and three block assists as the Lions posted 13 team blocks. Nicky Kevorken led the way on the block, picking up two solos and six block assists to set new career highs, teaming the blocking numbers with eight kills.
The Lions never trailed in the first set, as the home team hit .485 and received five kills apiece from Lea and Amber Mirabello. Mirabello finished the match with 11 kills on 24 attacks, and helped guide the Lions to the 25-20 opening set victory.
Tied at 16-16 in the second set, LMU went on a five-point run en route to capturing the second and taking a 2-0 lead in the match score. An ace from Tedrow, one of three set kills from Sponcil, and an ace from Kevorken highlighted the run as LMU eventually earned the 25-21 victory.
The two teams once again found themselves tied at 16 in the third, but this time it would be Long Beach State that would escape with the set. After trading points to even at 22, the 49ers won the final three points of the set on a pair of kills from Barber and one from Jenelle Hudson.
The Lions looked like they were on the verge of clinching the match in the fourth set as a Long Beach attack error was followed by a kill from Lea to turn a 22-22 tie into a match-point chance at 24-22. The visitors refused to surrender, as Carly Beddingfield connected for one of three set kills before Barber found the floor on back-to-back swings to post two of her six kills in the period and hand Long Beach a 25-24 advantage. The Lions fed Lea one final time in the fourth, but the outside hitter hit into the block of Hudson and Ashley Murray as Long Beach escaped with the win to force a fifth and decisive set.
The Lions looked all but finished in the fifth set after falling behind 12-5 in the race to 15, but LMU showed fight by winning seven of the next eight points to cut within one at 13-12. Avery Bush served up an ace, while Suaava had a kill and a block solo to highlight that run, but the push was all LMU had left, as Barber recorded a kill to set up match point at 14-12 before Sponcil was stuffed by Mykah Wilson and Murray to end the match.
LMU will continue play at the LBSU/LMU Mizuno Invitational tomorrow as it hosts Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. LMU will also host a pair of neutral-site matches tomorrow beginning with a 10 a.m. match between Oakland and Stony Brook.
