Box Score

Junior Sarah Sponcil managed a double-double of a match-best 18 kills with a team-high 14 digs, while freshman Savannah Slattery added 17 kills of her own, as LMU (11-4, 2-1 WCC) hit .310 as a team en route to capturing a 25-21, 25-17, 19-25, 25-19 victory over Saint Mary's (7-8, 2-2 WCC) on the road on Thursday night from McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif.

The double-double was the eighth of the year for Sponcil, who hit .484 with the 18 kills on 31 swings with just three errors. Slattery was nearly as impressive, connecting for the 17 kills on 32 attacks with just six errors to hit .344.

Continuing her stellar play from the service area, Kekai Whitford turned in three of LMU's five team aces, pushing her season total to a team-best 16. Senior Nicky Kevorken chipped in the other two aces for the Lions, while also adding four block assists to guide LMU to six team blocks.

As has been the case all season, freshmen Jessie Prichard and Tess Reid set the attack, with Prichard registering 27 assists to Reid's 24.

LMU did not trail over the first two sets, hitting .312 and holding the Gaels to just .138 hitting in the opener before exploding for a .414 hitting percentage in the second. Slattery and Jamie Lea each had three kills in the first, and Sponcil led the way with seven kills on nine attacks in the second.

Refusing to surrender the match without a fight, Saint Mary's erupted for four blocks and two aces while hitting .458 and holding LMU to just a .156 clip on the attack in the third, forcing a fourth set. Alexis Salmons led the way for the Gaels in that period, collecting four kills on six swings and adding a block assist.

The Lions returned to form in the fourth set, leading the entire way and hitting .364 behind five kills apiece from Sponcil and Slattery, eventually earning the 25-19 decision to seal the victory. Salmons kept the Gaels in the set, connecting for six kills on nine swings and guiding Saint Mary's to a .310 hitting percentage, but LMU registered a pair of aces and 17 digs defensively to continue to push toward the win.

LMU will conclude a three-match week on Saturday, traveling to Pacific for a Noon contest against the Tigers.