Top 10 Highlights and Memories, accomplishments, and moments highlighted Loyola Marymount's 2018-19 school year. As we prepare for more excitement in 2019-20, we're counting down the Top 10 Moments of this past year.
 
LMU volleyball closed the 2018 season out on the highest of notes. The Lions swept top-ranked BYU in straight sets, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20 to hand the previously-unbeaten Cougars their first loss of the year.
 
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. LMU held BYU to just .158 on their attack. LMU recorded 52 kills as a team, and allowed just 36. All 52 kills had assists for the Lions. The match featured 29 tie scores and 11 lead changes in the game, including 19 lead changes in the second set alone.
 

The moment. @lmulionsWVB #JoinThePride pic.twitter.com/YwwEqhzRWq

— LMU Athletics (@lmulions) November 21, 2018

 

This was the program's first-ever win over a #1-ranked team. LMU was previously 0-3 against the top team in the country. A 1990 loss to #1 UCLA, 1997 loss to #1 Long Beach State in the NCAA Tournament and a 2003 loss to #1 USC in the NCAA Tournament. This was just the second-ever time LMU has beaten BYU, with the last coming at home in 2015.
 

UPSET OF THE YEAR!!!!@lmulionsWVB SWEEPS No. 1 BYU to spoil the Cougars' perfect season on the final match of the year!#NCAAVBpic.twitter.com/EVRO0FctMt

— NCAA Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) November 21, 2018

 

The Lions baseball team went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country and number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament UCLA Bruins. 
 
The win over No. 1 UCLA was the first victory over a number one ranked team for then head coach Jason Gill while with the Lions. He was previously 0-2 against number one ranked teams, dropping a decision to the Bruins earlier in the year and a contest to then number one ranked TCU in 2015.
 
The No. 3-seeded Lions rushed past the Bruins en route to a 3-2 victory. LMU got out of the gates fast as they loaded the bases off Bruins starter Jack Ralston in the bottom of the first. 
 
With the bags full Trevin Esquerra sent a fly ball to left field bringing in Nick Sogard who started the inning with a single up the middle giving the Lions a 1-0 lead.
 
LMU showed resilience after UCLA scratched a run across in the top of the third. Chase Strumpf's fly ball got lost in the lights falling behind Esquerra, resulting in a triple. With a man 90-feet away, the Bruins sent a sac fly to left field pushing UCLA ahead 2-1. 
 
The Lions offense produced the tying run in the bottom of the third as Esquerra doubled in a run after Brandon Shearer got aboard with a single that tripped up Ralston. 
 
With the score knotted at two Agnew settled into a groove, retiring ten of the next thirteen batters he faced.
 

LMU is on to the Regional Final in LA, knocking off the #1 National Seed UCLA!#RoadToOmaha | @lmulionsBSB pic.twitter.com/gDoffL9PZw

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 2, 2019

 
 
LMU's seventh opened with an Ethan Patrick single up the middle. Patrick was pinch run for by Ryan Ruley who was sacrificed over by the bunt of Dylan Hirsch setting up Cooper Uhl, who provided the biggest RBI of the season to date for the Lions. Uhl drove in, what turned out to be the game-winning run, for the Lions with one out finding a hole in the right side with a low liner to score Ruley from second.
 
Heading into the top half of the eighth holding onto a one-run lead Fernandezees had issues with his control so Gill turned to Nick Frasso. With the sold-out crowd on its feet Frasso got the next two Bruin batters to strike out on a total of nine pitches closing the door on UCLA's late-inning threat.
 
Heading into the top of the ninth Frasso retired the Bruins in order with a strike out, pop out and fly out giving the Lions their victory over No. 1 ranked UCLA.
 

"It was just a great feeling to look up, come off the field and they're cheering for you. It's just a great feeling." - Josh Agnew#JoinThePride pic.twitter.com/kpcLvgPDG8

— LMU Athletics (@lmulions) June 2, 2019

 
 
A look back at previous highlights from the countdown.

#10 – Coaches Receive WCC Awards and Hit Career Milestones
#9 – Academic Achievement
#8 - Ma'at Hembrick Honored
#7 – Tennis National Rankings
#6 - Lions in the Postseason
#5 – All-American Honors