Sept. 20, 2008

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - In a match that featured two nine-win teams that had won five consecutive matches, it was LMU (9-4) who had its streak snapped, falling to Arizona (10-1) in three sets, 25-19, 25-19, 25-19. Arizona has now swept its opponent in eight of its 10 victories this season.

Senior Emily Day once again led the Lion offense with nine kills on 33 attacks, while freshman Ariana Covington totaled eight kills in the loss. Sophomore Megan Nash recorded the highest hitting percentage for LMU, posting a .364 mark (five-for-11). Sophomore setter Renee Horton dished-out 24 assists as LMU hit .139 (37-for-101) as a team over the three sets. Senior Lauren Kirk managed a match-best 12 digs, while freshman Diana Hiromoto, in what has become an everyday occurrence, notched multiple service aces with two.

Tiffany Owens and Brooke Buringrud led Arizona offensively, as the Wildcats hit .358 (43-for-95) for the match. Owens recorded a match-high 11 kills and teamed those with a team-best 11 digs to finish with a double-double. Buringrud had 10 kills on 22 attacks for a .409 hitting percentage. Stephanie Snow was active at the net, posting three block solos and a block assist as the Wildcats finished the match with eight total team blocks. Setter Paige Weber collected 32 assists to help Arizona to outstanding hitting percentages throughout.

Arizona came out with a fury in set one, recording a hitting percentage of .448 (17-for-29) in the period. Owens, Snow and Buringrud each posted four kills to guide the Wildcats to the set victory at 25-19. Day, Nash and Covington led the Lions with two kills apiece as LMU hit .148 (nine-for-27). The two teams battled to an early 4-4 tie before extending the stalemate to 9-9 on a Covington attack error. The seesaw battle continued to 13-13 after LMU posted three unanswered points to force an Arizona timeout. The breather proved valuable for the Wildcats as they rattled-off three unanswered points of their own to take a 16-13 advantage. LMU fought back to 17-16 on back-to-back Day kills, but a Jacy Norton kill moments later gave Arizona the 22-17 lead and forced an LMU timeout. The timeout did little to slow the pace as the Wildcats benefited from a kill from Weber and a Lion attack error to force set point at 24-18. LMU escaped one set point on an attack error, but Buringrud found the floor on the ensuing play to take the victory.

Although Arizona's hitting percentage did drop drastically in set two to .206 (12-for-34), it still doubled LMU's mark of .103 (14-for-39). Owens once again led the team in the set, collecting three kills to share the team-lead with Norton. Sophomore Becky Stehling, who was rather quiet with one kill in set one, came alive with five in the second period for LMU. For the second consecutive set, the two teams battled early. Stehling put a kill away to knot the set at 10 points apiece before a Whitney Dosty kill for Arizona kept the period tied at 13 a few plays later. From there, the Wildcats picked-up momentum, taking a 17-13 lead on four unanswered points en route to a 20-16 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Norton pushed the Wildcats to that four-point lead, forcing a Lion timeout. Arizona hit the accelerator out of the break, scoring three more unanswered points to run the streak to six straight points at 23-16. A Jasmine Rankins attack error pushed the set to its final point at 24-18 before LMU once again survived a first set-point on a Stehling kill. As it did in set one, Arizona did not allow further postponement, collecting a kill from Owens to take a 2-0 lead in the match score.

Arizona completed the sweep of LMU in set three as Owens and Buringrud finished strong with four kills apiece. Day posted a set-high five kills for the Lions, while Covington chipped-in four of her own. LMU took an early 2-0 lead as Nash posted a kill and Hiromoto a service ace. That lead would not last long, as Arizona quickly knotted the set at two before taking an 11-8 lead on a Weber kill to force the first LMU timeout of the set. The Lions roared back to within one point at 14-13 on kills by Covington and Horton and a Whitney Leonard service ace, resulting in an Arizona timeout. Arizona regained composure after the timeout, winning five of the next seven points to claim a 19-15 lead and force the final Lion timeout. Back-to-back kills by Day cut the advantage to 19-17, but Buringrud answered right back with two kills of her own for Arizona to run the tally to 21-17. Owens pushed the score to 23-18 with her final kill of the night before a Dosty kill and a Snow solo block sealed the deal for the Wildcats.

LMU will return to action on Friday, September 26 when it hosts Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion.