LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount University volleyball team (11-8, 5-2 WCC) pushed Saint Mary's to five sets on the road and came out with a 3-2 win on Thursday night.
LMU vs. Saint Mary's 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-9, 15-12
The Gaels opened up set one on a strong note, as they went on a 3-0 run, but the Lions responded, tying things up and taking the lead. The teams battled throughout the set, tying things up all the way until 24-24, until SMC put two more points on the board and won the set.
Down 1-0, the Lions responded in set two, starting with a 3-0 run. The Gaels were never able to tie things up, and after several runs, the Lions won set two 25-19.
Tied at 1-1, LMU had another close set, as the teams were neck and neck, with the last tie being at 23-23, until the Gaels had two kills that won them the set 25-23.
Down 2-1, LMU bounced back, quickly winning set four. The Lions took their first double-digit lead of the set at 17-7 and went on a 10-1 run to win the fourth set 25-9.
With the match tied at 2-2, the Gaels battled, but were not able to keep up the pace with the Lions, as LMU ended up winning the set 15-12.
Megan Rice led the team in kills with 24 and a .306 attack percentage, whole
Savannah Slattery had 19 and a .262 attack percentage.
Piper Manross put up eight kills for the Lions, the newcomer's career high.
Tess Reid led the Lions in assists with 54, coming close to her season high of 57, while
Bo Culo had 13 digs.
Jessie Prichard led the team in service aces with five, and Rice had six total blocks.
The Lions put up 112 points compared to SMC's 91, while the Lions had a .253 hitting percentage while the Gaels had .197. LMU had 60 total assists and 14 total blocks, while SMC had 47 and 16.
Up next: The Lions will continue their trip up north and will head to Stockton to take on Pacific on Saturday at noon.