DENVER — LMU defeated Denver 3-2 on Saturday, taking the match 25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-13. The Lions totaled 11 aces en route to their 8th straight win, remaining undefeated in the WCC and alone in first place.
The Lions closed the five-set match by converting set point late in the fifth, finishing a contest in which the teams posted matching .165 hitting percentages. Denver finished with more kills, 59-55, and digs, 71-67, while the Lions held advantages in service aces, 11-4, and total blocks, 11-9.
Set 1
After early kills from
Delfina Schuh,
Maria Tabacuks and
Zaria Thornton kept the Lions close, Denver moved ahead 7-4 before
Nicole Schuetz's kill and a block by
Aleksandra Stojanovic and
Anya Santrac helped steady the set. The Lions trailed 11-10 before a Schuetz-Thornton block tied it, and Tabacuks followed with consecutive service aces to put the Lions in front 13-11 on the way to a 15-12 edge. Denver came back to tie the set at 16-16, but the Lions answered with four straight points, including Stojanovic block and Santrac ace, to move ahead 20-16. After Denver got within 21-19, the Lions closed the set with four consecutive points, finishing a 25-19 win on three Denver errors.
Set 2
After Denver moved in front 3-1, the Lions pulled even at 3-3 on a Tabacuks kill and a Schuh service ace, but Denver kept the edge through the middle of the set. The Lions erased an 11-8 deficit with a Tabacuks kill, a Denver attack error and a
Nicole Schuetz kill to tie the set at 11-11, only for Denver to answer behind Elise Hart's kill and ace and later build a 16-12 lead. The Lions stayed within reach as
Kyla Firestone's kill, a Denver attack error and a Santrac ace cut the margin to 18-17, and the Lions later tied it at 21-21 before
Zaria Thornton's kill made it 22-22. Denver took the final three points, closing the set on a Lions service error, a block and an attack error for a 25-22 win.
Set 3
The Lions moved in front 5-2 behind two block-assisted Denver attack errors and a Tabacuks kill, but Romi Chlebecek's kills helped Denver pull even at 6-6 and move ahead 9-7. Stojanovic and Tabacuks helped the Lions work back into the set, with consecutive Tabacuks kills putting the Lions ahead 11-10 before the teams traded points into a 16-16 tie.
Ayanna Henry's kill put the Lions back in front, and Schuetz served four straight points, including consecutive aces, as the Lions built a 21-16 lead. After Denver stopped that stretch, a Tabacuks kill and a Denver attack error pushed the Lions to 23-17, and Stojanovic's kill made it 24-18 before
Gabriella Cascione's ace closed the set 25-18.
Set 4
The Lions moved ahead 6-3 early in the fourth set behind kills from Schuetz and
Ayanna Henry, a block involving Henry and Thornton, and a Denver setting error. Denver worked back into the set, tied it at 12-12 and moved in front 16-13 before Schuetz stopped the run with a kill. After another Schuetz kill brought the Lions within 16-14,
Kayla Lopez served the Lions through four straight points, including a Stojanovic-Schuetz block and another Schuetz kill, to take an 18-16 lead. Denver tied the set at 19-19, matched the Lions through 23-23 and scored the final two points on attack errors to take the set 25-23.
Set 5
The Lions broke a 6-6 tie in the fifth set with kills by Schuetz and Stojanovic, both from Schuh, to go ahead 8-6. Denver tied it at 8-8 on a kill by Alicia Thibodeau and a service ace by Elise Hart, but Henry put the Lions back in front with a kill before Santrac served an ace for a 10-8 edge. The Lions stayed ahead through the final stretch, reached set point at 14-12 on a Schuetz kill from Schuh, and after Denver cut it to 14-13, Schuetz finished another Schuh set to close the 15-13 win.
Schuetz posted a team-high 20.5 points with 17 kills, two aces, 11 digs and three total blocks. Tabacuks matched the team lead with 17 kills and added 19.5 points, nine digs and two aces. Schuh finished with 42 assists, 19 digs, two blocks and one ace. Thornton led the Lions at the net with seven total blocks and added five kills.
The Lions are 15-2 overall and 6-0 in WCC play. Denver is 8-9 overall and 1-4 in WCC play.
Up next, the Lions host Pepperdine on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. at Gersten Pavilion.
