LOS ANGELES – The LMU women's volleyball team took the first two sets on Saturday before #22 San Diego claimed the final three to take the match, 3-2 (20-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-11).
LMU flipped a 4-3 deficit in the first game to an 8-4 lead capped by kills off the swings of
Megan Rice then
Jacquelyn Moore. USD then responded with five unanswered of their own before Rice ended the run with another kill and tied the game at 9-all. San Diego took a one-point lead before the Lions put together another five unanswered points with Rice serving. The Toreros would climb within one but never be able to tie the score again as LMU ended the set with three-straight points including an
Emmelyn Walters block then kill to close it out.
The Lions took early leads of 6-2 and 8-3 in the second set, staying on top until San Diego tied the game at 14-all and taking a lead at 16-15. With LMU trailing by a point,
Megan Rice kills bookended a 5-0 run to take a 21-17 lead and force a timeout. San Diego responded with the next three points, but LMU held on as
Kari Geissberger recorded a kill to end the set.
The third set stayed close until the Toreros put together seven unanswered points to turn a two-point lead into a 19-10 advantage. The visitors would end up closing the set out to extend the game.
With LMU trailing 8-5 in the fourth set, the Lions scored eight of the next nine points to go ahead 13-9. San Diego climbed back and took a 16-15 lead then 18-17 lead and forced LMU to call a timeout. The two teams would produce five more tie scores from that point on.
Rose Booth gave LMU its final lead of the set with a kill to push LMU ahead 23-22 before San Diego closed out with the final three points.
Kari Geissberger's kill five points into the fifth set gave LMU its only lead of the fifth set, 3-2. The Lions would stay close, as
Megan Rice and
Audrey Klemp forced San Diego to call a timeout at 10-9.
Isabella Bareford hit the 50-assist mark for the second time this season, completing the double-double with 12 digs. Rice led the Lions with 21 kills and four service aces, while Klemp added 16 kills.
The Lions head to the Pacific Northwest this upcoming week to face Portland and Gonzaga, before closing out the regular season with six of the final eight games at home.
