Having gone 5-1 over the first six matches of the 2018 season, LMU volleyball will be back on the road this weekend, traveling to Lawrence, Kan. to play three matches at the Kansas Invitational … the Lions will begin play against Auburn on Friday at 8 a.m. PT before meeting American University at 3 p.m. PT later that day … the Lions will close action on Saturday, clashing with host Kansas at 11 a.m. PT … all three matches will feature live stats and video through ESPN+, while Saturday's match will also be broadcast on the radio courtesy of KUAthletics … links for all the coverage can be found at LMULions.com.

LMU (5-1) vs. AUBURN (3-2)
When: Friday, September 7 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT
Where: Lawrence, Kan. | Venue: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Coverage: Watch Live on ESPN+ | Live Stats
All-Time Series: 1-0 (LMU W1) | Last Meeting: LMU Won, 3-0 (8/31/96, Fort Collins, Colo.)
Notable: LMU beat Auburn at the Colorado State Holiday Inn Classic
About Auburn: Auburn enters the tournament sporting a 3-2 overall record after most recently going 2-1 at the Top Dawg Challenge last weekend … the Tigers opened play with a sweep over host Butler before dropping a four-set match to Illinois State University … Auburn then rebounded to sweep Eastern Illinois University to close the tournament … senior outside hitter Brenna McIlroy and junior Gwyn Jones were placed on the all-tournament team … McIlroy, the team's leading attacker with 53 kills, finished with a 3.40 kills/set average, having double-digit kills in all matches … in the second set vs. Butler, McIlroy notched her 1,000th career kill … Jones put together a 2.60 kills/set average and had a .415 hitting percentage on the right side for Auburn … she reached a season-best 12 kills against EIU and notched a career-high .667 hitting clip vs. the Panthers … Mica Allison sets the attack to a .248 clip, dishing out 175 assists at a rate of 10.94 per set.

LMU (5-1) vs. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (4-4)
When: Friday, September 7 | Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Where: Lawrence, Kan. | Venue: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Coverage: Watch Live on ESPN+ | Live Stats
All-Time Series: 0-0 | Last Meeting: First Meeting
Notable: LMU is 2-0 against the Patriot League all time (1-0 vs. Bucknell; 1-0 vs. Colgate)
About American University: American University enters the tournament carrying a 4-4 record after most recently posting a sweep over Delaware State on Wednesday night … the Eagles had lost their prior two matches, including a five-set thriller to Fresno State and a four-set loss to Saint Mary's … the match against LMU will be third against a WCC opponent, as American also posted a sweep over San Francisco earlier this year … Aleksandra Kazala paces the attack with 99 kills at a rate of 3.30 per set … Helena Elbaek also provides support, managing 73 kills (2.52 per set) … Kennedy Etheridge sets the offense, dishing out 234 assists (9.75 per set) to help American to a .236 hitting percentage … American has served up 41 aces, led by 11 from Kristen Largay, but has also committed 49 reception errors … the team is averaging 2.20 blocks per set, led by Loren McKenzie with 28 total stuffs.

LMU (5-1) at KANSAS (3-2)
When: Saturday, September 8 | Time: 11:00 a.m. PT
Where: Lawrence, Kan. | Venue: Horejsi Family Athletics Center
Coverage: Watch Live on ESPN+ | Live Stats | Live Audio
All-Time Series: 1-2 (KU W2) | Last Meeting: KU Won, 3-1 (12/11/15, San Diego, Calif.)
Notable: #9 Kansas beat LMU to end LMU's 2015 NCAA Tournament run in the Sweet Sixteen
About Kansas: Kansas enters the home tournament carrying a 3-2 overall record after most recently going 2-1 at the Bluegrass Battle hosted by #16 Kentucky … the Jayhawks defeated Dayton and College of Charleston in five sets before dropping a five-setter to Kentucky … four of the first five matches of the season have gone five sets, with the exception being a four-set loss to Arkansas … Ashley Smith is the team's leading option on the attack, registering 67 kills at a rate of 2.79 per set … the Jayhawks are hitting .194 as a team, while a trio of players have seen time setting the attack … Gabby Simpson has amassed 95 assists, but Annika Carlson (80 assists) and Camryn Ennis (67 assists) are also busy running the offense … Kansas has served up 25 aces (1.04 per set), led by Ennis and Jacqui Mostrom with four each … on the defensive side, Kansas has totaled 56 blocks, paced by Mmachi Nwoke and Zoe Hill with 26 and 25 blocks, respectively.

QUICK HITS
◊ LMU currently leads the nation in assists per set (14.82) and kills per set (15.64)
◊ Tess Reid leads the nation in assists per set (13.05)
◊ Emma Johnson is currently 3rd in the nation (1st in WCC) in hitting percentage (.540; 43-9/63)
◊ LMU's 5-1 record to start the season is the best since beginning the 2014 campaign 12-0
◊ Sara Kovac has registered a double-double in three of LMU's first six matches
◊ The Lions have dropped the opening set in three of the first six matches, but are 2-1 in those contests
◊ Tess Reid and Kekai Whitford were named to the Utah State Invitational All-Tournament team last week
◊ LMU won the Hilton Penn's Landing Temple Invitational Tournament Championship (3-0) to start the year … Savannah Slattery was named Hilton Penn's Landing Temple Invitational MVP, while Emma Johnson and Tess Reid also found spots on the All-Tournament Team
◊ The Lions served up 12 aces in a sweep of Rhode Island - 7^th-most in a three-set match in LMU history
◊ LMU is 3-1 this year in neutral matches … is 131-60 (.686) in neutral contests since the 1983 season
◊ LMU is picked to finish third in the WCC – the best preseason mark since 2004
◊ With a sweep over Rhode Island, LMU improved to 18-4 in season openers over the last 22 seasons
◊ The Lions went 16-13 overall last year, including 9-9 in the WCC to claim a share of fourth place in the conference standings
◊ Eight of LMU's 13 losses last year came to a team that at least received votes in the AVCA poll (USC, Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, San Diego, BYU)
◊ LMU made its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015, and has reached the Tournament in three of the last six years (2012, 2014, 2015)
◊ The Lions fell a win short of posting 10 WCC wins a year ago, but have posted 10+ WCC wins in three of the last four years
◊ The Lions are 311-165 (.653) at home since 1982

LIONS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN WCC
The Lions were picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference this season in a vote of the conference's coaches … the third-place selection is the best for LMU since earning a share of second in the 2004 preseason poll … BYU was a unanimous pick to win, with San Diego receiving the Cougars' first-place vote to take second … LMU was followed in the poll by Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, Portland, Pacific and San Francisco … the WCC has sent at least two teams into the NCAA Tournament in every season since 2011, including four or more in three of those seven seasons … since 2000, the WCC has sent three or more teams into the tournament 12 times, including a conference-record tying six in 2003 and 2012.

MVP, MVP, MVP
Junior outside hitter Savannah Slattery was named Tournament MVP at the Hilton Penn's Landing Temple Invitational after a stellar opening weekend ... Slattery amassed 41 total kills in the three matches, averaging 3.73 kills per set while hitting a blistering .402 on 82 swings with just eight errors ... the native of Malibu, Calif. connected for a match-best 11 kills while hitting .556 to open 2018 against Rhode Island on Friday ... in a four-set victory over Hofstra later that afternoon, Slattery hit .400 while registering 17 kills to finish one shy of the match leader ... she also added two block assists in the victory over Hofstra… Slattery closed the tournament with 13 kills and three aces against Temple.

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
In addition to Slattery as MVP, LMU also featured Emma Johnson and Tess Reid on the Hilton Penn's Landing Temple Invitational All-Tournament team ... Reid set the Lion attack throughout the tournament, amassing 136 assists at a rate of 12.36 per set ... the leader from the service area, she also managed seven aces (.64 per set) ... Johnson was efficient on the attack throughout the tournament, registering 28 kills on 37 swings for a .703 hitting percentage ... the middle blocker also tied for the team lead with seven total blocks (one solo, six block assists).

MORE ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
At the conclusion of the Utah State Invitational, junior Tess Reid and senior Kekai Whitford were named to the All-Tournament team … Reid finished the three matches having dished out 151 assists at a rate of 13.73 per set … Reid served up three aces and managed 24 digs to accompany three block assists … with Reid setting the attack, LMU finished the three matches with a .293 team hitting percentage … Reid managed one double-double, pairing a match-best 66 assists with 14 digs against #24 Cal Poly to open the tournament … Whitford, LMU's libero throughout the tournament, posted 49 digs at a rate of 4.45 per set … the native of Costa Mesa, Calif. also served up three aces.

SLATTERY & RICE NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-WCC TEAM
Juniors Savannah Slattery and Megan Rice were both named to the preseason All-WCC team in the preseason coaches' poll … Rice, who is expected to miss the 2018 campaign due to offseason surgery, was a first team All-WCC pick last year after transferring into the program … she played in all 29 matches for the Lions as a sophomore, finishing second on the squad in kills with 318 while serving up 25 aces and posting 57 blocks … in WCC play, she amassed 209 kills (3.17 per set) on 512 swings … Slattery, a preseason All-WCC pick last year as well, garnered All-WCC honorable mention honors as a sophomore in 2017 … a WCC All-Academic honorable mention pick, she posted 294 kills (2.72 per set) while taking a team-high 859 swings … the native of Malibu, Calif. served up 17 aces, posted 228 digs and recorded 43 total blocks.

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 ... LMU, 3-1 so far this year, went 2-0 in neutral-site matches last year ... the Lions, who were 4-0 in neutral matches in 2016, went 4-1 in neutral matches in 2015 after finishing 2014 with the same 4-1 record … overall, LMU is 131-60 (.686) in neutral contests since the 1983 season, including having posted perfect neutral records in nine of those 36 seasons ... over that span, LMU has had only five seasons with losing records in neutral matches.

WINNING THE SERVING BATTLE
LMU has developed a name for itself as one of the toughest serving teams in the WCC over the last few years, and the trend has continued into 2018 … the Lions have served up 39 aces to place second in the WCC, three behind Saint Mary's … LMU is averaging 1.77 aces per set, first in the WCC and 39^th in the nation ... in 2017, the Lions served up the most aces in the conference (202) while placing sixth in the nation, and averaged 1.87 per set to finish third overall in the NCAA … the 202 aces last year were fifth-most in LMU history, and the most since serving up 205 in 1993 … not only did they serve them up, they also won the overall receiving battle against opponents, allowing just 101 aces on the other side of the net (+101) ... so far this year, LMU has allowed 22 aces (+17) … in 2016, LMU served up 154 aces while allowing just 99 (+55) ... the Lions were just +2 in serving in 2009 (131-129), but have been +40 in each year since, including +63 in 2012 (162-99) and +62 in 2013 (166-104).

LMU RETURNS VETERAN ROSTER
LMU returns 10 players from last season's team that went 16-13 overall … the Lions will be led by junior setter Tess Reid, junior outside hitter Savannah Slattery, senior opposite Sara Kovac and senior libero Kekai Whitford … LMU is expected to be without junior outside hitter Megan Rice and junior setter Jessie Prichard in 2018 … Rice is recovering from surgery, while Prichard is in line to utilize a redshirt season … on the other side, LMU returns All-Freshman outside hitter Meredith Teague … other returners for the Lions include Emma Johnson, Alexis Morrow and Sierra Bartley.

LMU ADDS PAIR OF TRANSFERS, THREE FRESHMEN
Not only did LMU sign three standout freshmen in Ella Knowlton, Ella Boehle and Emilee Rohrer, the Lions also benefitted on the transfer market, bringing in junior outside hitter Bo Culo (Florida State) and sophomore setter Bailey Steger (Holy Cross) … Culo totaled 68 kills and 13 blocks for the Seminoles in 2017, while Steger appeared in 24 of the Crusaders' 29 matches and amassed 158 assists.

GET OFF ON THE RIGHT PAW
The Lions have had a knack for coming out of the gates strong in recent memory, having won 18 of their last 22 season-openers, including posting a sweep of Rhode Island to start 2018 ... LMU had dropped a pair of four-set matches to Virginia (2015) and USC (2017) recently, but the only other losses over that span came in 2007 to St. John's and then-No. 10 USC in 2010 ... LMU has recorded 11 sweeps and won in four sets on six occasions.

PROMOTIONS SCHEDULE
LMU Athletics has released the volleyball promotions schedule for 2018 … some of the highlights of this year's promotions schedule include a fanny pack giveaway on Saturday, October 6, collector's cup giveaway on Saturday, November 17 and crimson volleyball shirt giveaway on Tuesday, November 20.

REID HONES SKILLS WITH TEAM USA OVER SUMMER
Junior setter Tess Reid competed with the 2018 U.S. Collegiate National Team Detroit squad this past summer … the 24-player team, part of USA Volleyball's High Performance pipeline and considered a second tryout for the U.S. Women's National Team, played three exhibition matches against one another at the Cobo Center on June 27, June 28 and June 30 … the matches were held in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior National Championships under the same roof.

WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE
LMU Athletics will once again video stream all non-televised home volleyball matches this year through the LMU Sports Network and the W.tv … the video stream is free of charge, and will be accompanied by an audio play-by-play broadcast … TheW.tv will also stream every conference road game this year … to watch all the action this year, please visit LMULions.com or TheW.tv.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
One of Southern California's premier athletic facilities, Albert Gersten Pavilion is in its 37th year as home of the Loyola Marymount volleyball in 2018 ... 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 311-165 (.653) in the friendly confines of the Pavilion ... LMU went 8-5 at home in 2017 ... in conference play, the record is even more impressive with a 161-79 (.671) home record in WCC action ... in 36 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.

PLEASE, CALL ME LMU
When referring to the university, please use LMU or Loyola Marymount University … please avoid using "Loyola" or "Marymount" alone … also, no hyphens should be used when spelling out the full name of the university … please refer to all LMU athletics teams as Lions, and refrain from using the term Lady Lions.

NEW SEASON. NEW HANDLES
LMU Athletics has unveiled new official social media handles with the aim of increasing brand consistency and fan experience, and LMU volleyball will now be posting via @LMULionsWVB … users who liked or followed the accounts previously have been automatically switched over to the new LMU Athletics and sport accounts … the process, which began with the launch of the new LMULions.com, is in an effort to align social media accounts with the overall LMU brand … main department Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts can be found at @lmulions, while all sport account handles now lead with @lmulions(sport).

UP NEXT
LMU will conclude a string of 10 straight matches on the road to start the season, traveling to Long Beach, Calif. for a neutral match against Southern Utah at 5 p.m. PT on Friday, September 14 … the Lions will then host Lamar on Saturday, September 15 at 12 p.m. PT in the home opener from Gersten Pavilion.