Concluding a string of 10 straight matches away from home to start the year, LMU volleyball (9-1) turned in another impressive victory on Friday night, hitting a blistering .422 and serving up 13 aces en route to capturing a 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-15 win over Southern Utah (1-10) from Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.

KEEPING UP THE ACE
One of the top serving teams in the nation, LMU kept up the trend on Friday night, serving up a season-high 13 aces while allowing just three on the other side of the net … Meredith Teague led the way with five aces, followed by Kekai Whitford with three, Bo Culo and Sara Kovac with two, and Tess Reid with one … the Lions managed six of the 13 in the third set alone, including four from Teague … the Lions have served up 75 aces to lead the WCC and are averaging 2.08 aces per set - first in the WCC and 10th in the nation entering this week.

BOX SCORE NOTES
A trio of Lions led the way offensively, as Culo, Kovac and Teague all finished with 14 kills … junior Tess Reid turned in a double-double at setter, pairing a match-high 56 assists with 10 digs … junior Emma Johnson, the national leader in hitting percentage, proved it isn't a fluke again on Friday, connecting for eight kills on 10 swings with one error for a .700 clip – pushing her season mark to .544 … nearly as efficient, Teague managed her 14 kills on just 21 attacks with one error, closing with a .619 hitting percentage … Janet Kalaniuvalu was the lone Southern Utah player to reach double-digit kills, registering 10, but SUU did hit .309 as a team … in the tight first and second sets, LMU hit .528 and .452, but allowed .375 and .522 percentages on the other side … the Lions tightened up the defense in the final two frames, holding SUU to just .222 and .156 hitting, respectively … LMU's offense did not cool much down the stretch, as LMU registered .348 and .308 clips to close out the victory.

LION NOTES
LMU's 9-1 record to start the season is the best since beginning the 2014 campaign 12-0 … LMU's 13 aces are tied for ninth-most in LMU history, and are tied for second-most in a four-set match … the 13 are the most since serving up 16 at Santa Clara on November 11, 2017, and the most in a four-set match since posting 13 against Idaho on September 3, 2005 … Teague's five-ace match is the sixth of her career, including the second of the season … LMU's .422 hitting percentage is the second-best of the year, trailing only the .451 clip put up against Auburn on September 7 … Reid's double-double was her fourth of the year, and she improved her assists-per-set mark to an NCAA-best 13.28 … the Lions are now averaging 15.19 assists per set and 16.06 kills per set – both tops in the nation.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS
LMU still has 10 home matches remaining to be played in Gersten Pavilion … members of LMU's Little Lions Club get into all LMU home volleyball matches as part of the membership, while students, faculty and staff with a valid One Card also receive free General Admission access to every home match … to purchase season or single-game tickets, please contact the LMU Box Office at 310-338-5466 or visit LMULions.com/buywvb.

QUOTABLE
"Our offense was once again really efficient. Tess did a great job leading our team and putting our hitters in really good spots to score. We still need to make a lot of improvements on the defensive side of the ball, but I'm confident our team will put in the work to make that happen. We look forward to playing on our home floor tomorrow." – Head Coach Aaron Mansfield

NEXT ROTATION
LMU will finally play a home match on Saturday, hosting Lamar at 12 p.m. PT in the home opener from Gersten Pavilion.