Tempe, AZ – The Lions put up a strong fight and kept each set close, but ultimately fell to No. 7 Arizona State, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions came out strong in the opening set, striking first behind a service ace from Delfina Schuh. LMU kept the momentum rolling with a kill by Sophia Keene, followed by back-to-back service aces from Sophie Stephenson, putting the Lions up, 7-3. Midway in the set, though, the Sun Devils turned up the heat, going on a run of six, tying up the score, 14-14, forcing the Lions to take a timeout. ASU went on two runs of three and took the lead, 20-16. Both teams traded points towards the end, but the Sun Devils would take set one, 25-22.

Set two followed a similar pattern, with LMU grabbing an early edge after a Maddie Boerstra ace put them up 3-1. ASU countered with a 3-0 spurt, but the Lions kept pace as the score tied multiple times. Trailing 22-21 after another ace from Stephenson, LMU had momentum late, but the Sun Devils secured the final three points to take the set, 25-21.

In the third, ASU jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Schuh, assisted by Isabella Ocampo, sparked a three-point run to bring the Lions within two at 10-8. LMU continued to battle, narrowing the gap to 19-18 after a four-point surge. However, the Sun Devils held their ground and finished the set, 25-20, to claim the sweep.

Boerstra, along with two other players, led both sides with 11 kills. Schuh paced the Lions with 27 assists and 12 digs, while Nicole Schuetz anchored the defense at the net with a team-high 7.0 blocks.

LMU returns home Thursday to open the LMU Invitational against Western Michigan at 3:30 p.m. inside Gersten Pavilion.
 
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