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QUICK HITS
◊ LMU is currently outside of the AVCA Top-25 rankings after most recently playing the week of 9/5-9/11 at #25 in the rankings, but is receiving votes in the poll ... ranks second in the NCAA in assists/set (14.09), trailing only San Diego (14.71) ... is fourth in kills/set (14.79), with San Diego sitting as the nation's leader (15.62) ... is picked to finish fourth according to the annual preseason coaches poll ... made its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last year, including its third in the last four years (2012, 2014, 2015) ... went 24-9 overall last year, including 13-5 in the WCC to claim a share of third place in the conference standings ... reached the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history (1996) ... dropped the Sweet 16 match to Kansas (3-1) ... swept #6 Stanford to advance to the Sweet 16 - the highest-ranked opponent to ever fall to the Lions (previous: 3-2 at #9 Hawaii on 9/23/05) ... including last year, each of LMU's last three tournament runs started at Stanford ... was one of four WCC teams in the NCAA Tournament (LMU, BYU, USD, SCU), with BYU also reaching the Sweet 16 ... has recorded back-to-back 20+ win seasons for the first time since 1999-00 ... posted 10+ WCC wins in consecutive years for the first time since 1996-97 ... 24 victories were the most since recording 26 in 2003 ... third-place finish was the best for the Lions since finishing third in 2003 ... 13 WCC wins were the most since 1996 (14-0) ... is 299-155 (.659) at home since 1982.
◊ Tom Black served as an Assistant Coach with Team USA, helping the US to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics ... worked directly with the setters with Team USA.
◊ Kristen Castellanos was named to the Pioneer Classic All-Tournament team after tournament at Denver ... also earned a spot on the Flyer Classic All-Tournament team in Dayton ... recorded fourth-most aces for single match in program history (6) vs. Niagara on 8/27 ... most since Betsi Metter had six vs. College of Charleston on 9/14/13 ... has posted double-digit digs in all but two matches this year.
◊ Jamie Lea was named preseason All-WCC.
◊ Tess Reid posted a double-double in five of her first six collegiate matches ... has managed at least one service ace in four of her last five matches ... tied for the team lead in double-doubles with six.
◊ Sarah Sponcil earned Pioneer Classic MVP after tournament at Denver ... also took home MVP at the Flyer Classic in Dayton before being named WCC Player of the Week for his efforts at that tournament ... garnered AVCA All-Region and honorable mention All-America honors last year ... listed on ESPNW's 2016 Top-12 Players to Watch list ... is a preseason All-WCC selection ... double-digit kills in all but one match so far this year ... has led all players in kills in nine of the first 13 matches, and has posted a team-high in kills in 10 of the 13.
◊ Joe Trinsey served as an Assistant Coach with Team USA, helping the US to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
◊ Kekai Whitford has recorded an ace in six straight matches, including multiple aces in three of the six.

THIS WEEK
LMU volleyball will continue West Coast Conference play with a busy three-match week ... the trio of matches begins on Tuesday at home in a nationally-televised contest (ESPNU/WatchESPN) against #7 San Diego at 7 p.m. ... admission into the match is free, and action for the showdown begins at 6 p.m. with the Pregame Celebration sponsored by The Loft ... the event will be held on the LMU Tennis Courts and will feature free beers (limit two per person) for those over 21, and free non-alcoholic beverages for those under 21 ... following the Pregame, come in and cheer on the Lions and the first 250 in the building will get a free CHIK-FIL-A dinner between sets two and three ... also look for special #LIONSTRONG giveaways ... after the match with the Toreros, LMU will return to the road for matches at Saint Mary's and Pacific on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

LION TRACKS
Looking to earn 1.5 points in the Wells Fargo PCH Cup standings on Saturday, LMU volleyball earned its sixth straight sweep of the year, handing Pepperdine a 25-12, 26-24, 25-16 loss at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif ... junior Sarah Sponcil had another outstanding match, teaming a match-best 13 kills with 14 digs for her sixth double-double of the year .... LMU as a team hit .264, as freshmen Jessie Prichard and Tess Reid recorded 26 and 10 assists, respectively ... the duo both turned in double-doubles, as Prichard recorded 11 digs to Reid's 10 ... LMU as a team registered an impressive 69 digs in the three sets, led by Kristen Castellanos with a match-high 18 ... turning in another solid effort on the attack, freshman Savannah Slattery recorded 12 kills while hitting .257 ... LMU's serving game also proved stellar in the win, as the Lions posted six aces, led by three from Kekai Whitford.

IT'S JUST A NUMBER
With a victory over No. 24 Pepperdine on November 8, 2012, LMU snapped a streak of 36 straight losses to ranked opponents (previous victory: 10/5/06 at #12 Santa Clara) ... LMU finished that year 1-5 against ranked foes before going 0-4 in such matches in 2013 ... the 2014 season went much better when the Lions were pit against Top-25 squads, as LMU went 2-2 on the year ... last year, LMU was 4-2 against ranked opponents after beating #20 UCLA (8/30), #12 BYU (10/24), #13 Colorado State (12/3) and #6 Stanford (12/4) ... so far this year, the Lions are 0-1, dropping a four-setter to #12 UCLA on 8/27.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO
#6 San Diego enters the week sporting an 11-2 record, including a 2-0 mark in the WCC ... the Toreros most recently swept San Francisco and Santa Clara to open WCC play last week, and USD has managed five straight sweeps ... the only two losses have come at the hands of top-three opponents, falling to #3 Minnesota and #2 Wisconsin in the second and third matches of the year ... USD has managed wins over #11 Stanford, #18 Colorado and #7 UCLA ... Lauren Schad and Lisa Kramer lead the way on the attack, registering 139 and 130 kills, respectively ... Schad is hitting .399 over 286 swings ... Kristen Gengenbacher (356 assists) and Anna Newsome (214 assists) split time setting the attack (nation-leading 14.71 assists per set), which is connecting at a .271 clip ... Hunter Jennings has posted 14 aces to guide USD to 59 ... the Toreros are averaging 1.67 blocks per set, led by Addie Picha with six solos and 24 assists (0.91 per set) ... San Diego is led by 18th-year head coach Jennifer Petrie.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
One of Southern California's premier athletic facilities, Albert Gersten Pavilion is in its 35th year as home of the Loyola Marymount volleyball in 2016 ... since opening night, the Pavilion has become one of toughest places to play in the West Coast Conference ... the volleyball Lions first moved into the facility in 1982, and recorded 14 wins in Gersten's inaugural season ... since 1982, the Lions have posted an overall record of 299-155 (.659) in the friendly confines of the Pavilion ... LMU, which is 4-1 so far this year at home, went 10-4 at home in 2015 ... in conference play, the record is even more impressive with a 151-71 (.680) home record in WCC action ... in 34 years, the 1996 (WCC volleyball championship team and Sweet Sixteen participant) and 2003 (NCAA second round appearance) squads have been the most successful with 14-1 marks, for .933 winning percentages.

WELLS FARGO PCH CUP
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine came together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Wells Fargo Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Cup ... the series, which is in its eighth year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves ... any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur ... for the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships ... LMU and Pepperdine are currently tied in the 2016-17 standings, 1.5-1.5 ... the Waves have won six of the first seven cups (LMU won in 2014-15) ... to learn more about the PCH Cup and view the current scorecard, please visit: lmulions.com/pchcup

READY FOR THE BRIGHT LIGHTS
The West Coast Conference unveiled its 2016 broadcast schedule for volleyball, and the Lions are scheduled to host a pair of ESPN televised matches ... LMU will welcome perennial power San Diego Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00 p.m., while defending WCC Champion and NCAA Sweet-16 participant BYU plays at LMU Tuesday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.

LET'S SETTLE THIS ON NEUTRAL GROUND
LMU has historically been extremely impressive in matches played at neutral sites, in which neither team is playing on their home court ... the Lions, who are 4-0 so far this year in neutral matches, went 4-1 in neutral matches last year after finishing 2014 with the same 4-1 record ... LMU was 1-1 in neutral contests in 2013 after finishing 2-3 in 2012 ... 2011 saw the Lions go 4-2 in neutral matches, while they were 6-2 in 2010 ... overall, LMU is 126-59 (.681) in neutral contests since the 1983 season, including having posted perfect neutral records in eight of those 33 seasons ... over that span, LMU has had only five seasons with losing records in neutral matches.

SPONCIL EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
After being named Dayton Flyer Classic Tournament MVP, junior Sarah Sponcil added a West Coast Conference Player of the Week designation on 9/19 ... the weekly selection was the first of the year for LMU, and the second of Sponcil's career after taking home the honor on 11/2/15 ... Sponcil guided LMU to a 3-0 record that included three sweeps over host Dayton, Southern Illinois and Youngstown State ... the native of Phoenix, Ariz. posted 37 total kills (4.11 per set) while hitting .453 over 64 swings with just eight errors ... she added two aces, 23 digs (2.56 per set) and two block assists.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!
After completing his third year serving as LMU head volleyball coach in 2012, Tom Black accepted an assistant coach position under head coach Karch Kiraly with the U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team ... Black, who has continued in his head coaching duties at LMU while serving on the Team USA staff, helped guide the United States to a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics by way of a victory over Netherlands ... under his title with the National Team, Black's primary responsibility was working with the setters and the team offense.

GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW
The Lions have had a knack for coming out of the gates strong in recent memory, having won 17 of their last 20 season-openers, including a four-set win over Illinois State this year ... LMU did drop a four-set match to Virginia to start the 2015 campaign ... the only other losses over that span came in 2007 to St. John's and then-No. 10 USC in 2010 ... LMU has recorded 10 sweeps and won in four sets on six occasions.

SURVEY SAYS
In a preseason poll of the Conference's 10 head coaches, LMU was selected to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference in 2016 ... after making its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament and 19th overall, San Diego was picked as the favorite to win the Championship ... the top three teams were separated by 11 votes, with 10 points separating the Toreros from the three-time defending WCC champion and 2015 NCAA Sweet-16 participant BYU ... Santa Clara, LMU, Pepperdine, Pacific, Portland, Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and San Francisco followed.

WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will video stream all home volleyball matches this year through the LMU Sports Network and theW.tv ... the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast ... to watch any and all home matches this year, please visit: lmulions.com/multimedia/LMUSportsNetwork-WVB.html

M-V-P...M-V-P...M-V-P
Junior Sarah Sponcil took home Pioneer Classic Tournament MVP at the University of Denver's tournament, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team alongside fellow junior, Kristen Castellanos ... over three matches at the tournament, Sponcil collected 45 kills (4.50 per set) with just 16 errors on 92 swings for a .315 hitting percentage ... she served up four aces, collected 27 digs (2.70 per set) and had five block assists ... the Preseason All-WCC selection also posted two double-doubles in helping LMU to go 2-1 at the tournament ... Castellanos finished the three matches with 32 digs, including 14 in the opener at Denver .. the Los Angeles, Calif. native averaged 3.20 digs per set while also dishing out 16 assists.

The duo then earned the same titles at the Flyer Classic hosted by Dayton ... Sponcil, the Tournament MVP, posted 37 total kills (4.11 per set) while hitting .453 over 64 swings with just eight errors ... she added two aces, 23 digs (2.56 per set) and two block assists ... Castellanos managed a pair of aces while collecting 31 digs (3.44 per set).

PICKED BEFORE THE SERVE
The West Coast Conference released its preseason All-WCC selections, and LMU's Sarah Sponcil and Jamie Lea were honored ... Six programs placed at least one student-athlete on the preseason squad, with Santa Clara leading the way with three selections ... Sponcil was named a 2015 AVCA All-Region and honorable mention All-American after taking home first team All-WCC honors ... she led the Lions in kills with 447 at a rate of 3.58 per set while notching a team-best 36 aces (0.29 per set) and 363 digs (2.90 per set) ... Lea, who managed double-digit kills in all but seven matches, appeared in 32 of LMU's 33 matches and collected 425 kills to finish second on the team in her first season as a Lion .. the native of Efland, N.C. averaged 3.57 kills per set while taking 1,113 swings and amassing eight block solos and 45 block assists to average 0.45 blocks per set.

WINS FOR THE AGES
LMU has managed a few streak-stopping victories over the last two-plus years, most notably defeating Stanford, BYU, UCLA, San Diego and Long Beach State ... the Lions' latest accomplishment was a road sweep at then-#6 Stanford on 12/4/15 to advance to the 2015 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 ... the victory over the Cardinal was the first in program history, as the Lions had previously gone 0-3 and never won a set ... Stanford was also the highest-ranked opponent to be fall to the Lions (previous: 3-2 at #9 Hawaii on 9/23/05) ... LMU posted a five-set victory over then-No. 12 BYU on 10/24/15, marking the first win over the Cougars in program history (1-11) ... prior to LMU's sweep of UCLA on 8/30/14, the Bruins had won seven straight matches over the Lions ... the all-time series now stands at 11-3 in favor of UCLA, as the Lions swept the Bruins for the second straight year on 8/30/15, but dropped a match to UCLA on 8/27 this year ... 2015's victory over UCLA came on the road, and was the first on the road for LMU at UCLA since December 4, 1986 (3-2) while playing in the NCAA Tournament ... eight of the 11 UCLA victories in the series have been sweeps ... the Lions also recorded a victory over Long Beach State on 9/11/14, snapping a seven-match skid for the Lions against the 49ers ... the last Lion victory over LBSU came on 9/10/94 ... the road victory for LMU was also the first over Long Beach State since 11/17/87 ... LMU swept then-No. 23 San Diego on 9/30/14 ... that victory snapped a 16-match losing streak to the Toreros (last victory: 10/28/05) ... LMU was just 6-26 over the previous 32 matches against USD ... the sweep of USD was also the first for the Lions since 11/18/95.

WCC WELL-REPRESENTED
For the second straight year, four West Coast Conference volleyball programs advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament ... No. 11 BYU, the 2015 WCC Regular-Season Champions, joined LMU, San Diego and Santa Clara for the second straight season as qualifiers ... BYU, which like the Lions reached the Sweet 16 in 2015, played for the National Championship in 2014 ... the four teams selected is the largest contingent of WCC programs to advance to the NCAA Tournament since 2012 when BYU, LMU, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, San Diego and Santa Clara all qualified.

LMU VOLLEYBALL ON TWITTER
For fans, parents and players interested in following LMU volleyball even closer this year, LMU volleyball will be tweeting under the handle @LMU_Volleyball ... to get the inside look at LMU volleyball, make sure to follow @LMU_Volleyball on Twitter.

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