LMU volleyball (20-9, 10-8 WCC) closed the 2018 season out on the highest of notes. The Lions swept top-ranked BYU (27-1, 17-1 WCC) in straight sets, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20 to hand the previously-unbeaten Cougars their first only of the year.
BOX SCORE NOTES
Senior
Sara Kovac led all players with 22 kills on 45 swings … she also added 10 digs for a double-double …
Tess Reid dished out 48 assists as LMU hit .252 as a team … Reid also had a 10 digs to record a double-double of her own … Senior
Kekai Whitford led the way with a game-high 19 digs from the libero position … LMU held BYU to just .158 on their attack … Roni Jones-Perry totaled 20 kills on 49 attacks for the Cougars … Lyndsey Haddock-Eppich led BYU with 10 digs … LMU recorded 52 kills as a team, and allowed just 36 … All 52 kills had assists for the Lions … BYU's strength was at the net recording 13.0 blocks compared to four by the Lions … The match featured 29 tie scores and 11 lead changes in the game, including 19 lead changes in the second set alone.
LION NOTES
This is the program's first-ever win over a #1-ranked team.. LMU was previously 0-3 against the top team in the country … 1990 loss to #1 UCLA, 1997 loss to #1 Long Beach State in the NCAA Tournament, 2003 loss to #1 USC in the NCAA Tournament … This is just the second-ever time LMU has beaten BYU, with the last coming at home in 2015 … Kovac finishes her LMU career with 753 kills and 183 digs, after her career-best 753 and 243 as a senior … Whitford tallied 1058 digs in her time as a Lion, also recording her best season as a senior with 424.
QUOTABLE
"The crowd was unbelievable," said Head Coach
Aaron Mansfield. "Obviously there were a lot of BYU fans, but there were a lot of LMU fans here too, and the girls definitely fed of that. Our preparation is our preparation. We prepared for the match just like we did all the others and a lot of things went our way tonight. Obviously, BYU is undefeated for a reason and they make it really tough on you, but we felt like we earned it tonight. I'm really proud of our team, especially for Kekai and Kovac's last match at Gersten. I couldn't be prouder of that. It was really a team effort tonight. Everyone stepped and played really good volleyball. Nothing special, but it was good enough to win."
