OXFORD, Miss. — Loyola Marymount University (3-0, 0-0 West Coast Conference) closed out an undefeated opening weekend with a 3-1 victory over Ole Miss (2-1, 0-0 SEC) on Sunday afternoon at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center.
The Lions took the match 25-20, 26-28, 25-20, 25-22 behind another 21-kill performance from Nicole Schuetz and a balanced offensive effort that saw LMU hit .311 for the match. The Lions finished with season highs in both kills (61) and total blocks (10), while holding Ole Miss to a .221 hitting percentage. With the victory, LMU improved to 3-0 to begin the season, marking the Lions' first 3-0 start since 2018.

Schuetz led LMU with 21 kills on .348 hitting while adding 13 digs for a double-double and a team-high 23.0 points. Maria Tabacuks followed with 19 kills, 11 digs and 22.0 points to record a double-double of her own. Anya Santrac added eight kills and 15 digs, while Camille Pomeroy provided five kills on .417 hitting and a team-high five block assists.
Delfina Schuh continued an impressive opening weekend directing the Lions' offense, finishing with 49 assists, three kills on six attempts and four digs. After averaging 7.07 assists per set last season, Schuh averaged 12.20 assists per set over LMU's three matches in Oxford, helping guide an offense that opened the season 3-0.
Aleksandra Stojanovic also made her first career start as a Lion, finishing with five kills on .294 hitting and four block assists.

LMU established itself early in the opening set, breaking away from a 13-13 tie with a 6-0 run sparked by Tabacuks from the service line. Tabacuks recorded two aces during the stretch, while Schuetz and the Lions' front row helped extend the advantage to 19-13. Ole Miss made a late push, but Tabacuks closed the set with her eighth kill of the frame to give LMU a 25-20 win.

The second set developed into the tightest frame of the afternoon, featuring a back-and-forth finish with neither team able to create separation. Schuetz tied the set at 25-25 with a kill before the teams traded points again at 26-26. Ole Miss ultimately scored the final two points to take the set 28-26 and even the match at one set apiece.
LMU responded in the third. After the teams battled to a 19-19 tie, the Lions took command with five consecutive points. Schuetz and Santrac each delivered kills during the run, while Stojanovic combined on two blocks as LMU surged ahead 24-19. Schuetz then put away the final point to secure the 25-20 set victory and give the Lions a 2-1 match advantage.

The Lions saved their strongest response for the fourth set. Ole Miss led 18-15 before Tabacuks cut the deficit to two, setting the stage for Kyla Firestone to enter from the bench. Firestone immediately delivered back-to-back service aces, tying the set at 18-18. From there, the LMU block took over. Leah Burrell and Stojanovic combined for a block before Ayanna Henry followed with a solo stuff, and Tabacuks added a kill as the Lions turned an 18-16 deficit into a 22-18 advantage with a 6-0 scoring run.
Ole Miss pulled within two late, but another Rebel attack error gave LMU match point before Tabacuks delivered the final kill of the weekend to close out the 25-22 victory. The Lions recorded five of their season-high 10 blocks in the fourth set alone.

LMU Top Performers

Nicole Schuetz led the Lions with 21 kills on .348 hitting while adding 13 digs for a double-double and finishing with a team-high 23.0 points. Maria Tabacuks delivered another strong all-around performance with 19 kills, 11 digs and 22.0 points. Anya Santrac contributed eight kills and 15 digs, while Camille Pomeroy provided an efficient presence in the middle with five kills on .417 hitting and five block assists. Delfina Schuh orchestrated the offense with 49 assists while adding three kills on .500 hitting and four digs.

Up Next

LMU will travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i, where the Lions will face UC San Diego on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.