LONG BEACH, Calif. – LMU women's volleyball cruised to a straight-set victory over Brown, defeating the Bears 25-20, 25-13, 25-18 in Long Beach.
The Lions improved to 7-1 overall behind a balanced offensive attack that produced 50 kills while hitting .313 as a team.
LMU controlled the match from the opening set, posting an impressive 80.8 percent sideout rate and limiting Brown to a .171 hitting percentage. Five Lions recorded at least nine kills, led by
Nicole Schuetz's match-high 15 kills.
Set One
Brown scored the opening point before the teams battled to a 4-4 tie. The Lions then used kills from
Aleksandra Stojanovic and
Maria Tabacuks to spark a 3-0 run and move in front 7-4. After Brown trimmed the margin to one at 8-7, LMU answered behind the play of Schuetz and Tabacuks, extending the advantage to 16-12 following a
Kayla Lopez service ace.
The Bears pulled within three at 17-14, but the Lions responded with three consecutive points, including a
Zaria Thornton kill from
Delfina Schuh, to create separation at 20-14.
Anya Santrac and Stojanovic teamed up for a block that brought LMU to set point at 24-17. Despite a late Brown rally, Schuetz closed out the frame with her fifth kill of the set to secure the 25-20 victory.
Set Two
LMU seized control early in the second set and never looked back.
A Tabacuks ace, Thornton kill and Santrac kill helped the Lions build an 8-2 lead. After Brown narrowed the gap to 8-4, LMU rattled off five straight points behind kills from Schuetz, Santrac and Stojanovic to stretch the advantage to 13-4.
The Lions continued to apply pressure, growing the lead to 18-5 during another extended run highlighted by a Schuetz kill, a Stojanovic-Schuh block, a Schuh kill and a Santrac service ace. LMU reached set point on a block by Stojanovic and
Leah Burrell before Stojanovic delivered the final kill of the set off a
Kyla Firestone assist, giving the Lions a commanding 25-13 win.
Set Three
Schuh opened the third set with a service ace, and after Brown evened the score at 3-3, LMU responded with three straight points behind a Schuetz kill, a Stojanovic-Schuh block and a Santrac kill to move ahead 6-3.
Brown remained within striking distance early and trailed just 11-8 before the Lions created separation. Tabacuks recorded back-to-back kills during a run that pushed LMU's lead to 16-10, while consecutive Schuetz kills helped maintain momentum.
The Bears later closed within four at 20-16, but Thornton answered with a kill and Tabacuks followed with a service ace to make it 22-16. Schuetz and Stojanovic added kills down the stretch before Burrell put away match point to finish off the 25-18 set victory and complete the sweep.
Schuetz led all players with 15 kills while adding eight digs and 15.0 points. Schuh directed the offense with 38 assists and completed a double-double with 11 digs.
Gabriella Cascione anchored the back row with a team-high 16 digs.
Stojanovic hit .467 with nine kills and four block assists, while Thornton was highly efficient offensively, posting nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage. As a team, the Lions totaled 53 digs and six service aces in the victory.
Up next, LMU will conclude tournament play on Sunday afternoon when the Lions face host Long Beach State at 4 p.m. in Long Beach.
