Oct. 4, 2008

Box Score

MORAGA, Calif. - LMU (10-6, 0-2) dropped another road decision on Saturday, falling to host Saint Mary's (11-4, 1-1) by scores of 25-17, 18-25, 25-19, 25-13. The loss runs the Lion record in road matches to 0-4.

For the second consecutive match, Emily Day posted a match-high in kills with 21. The senior from Torrance, Calif. also notched another double-double, teaming the kill mark with 15 digs, a block solo and four block assists. She finished the match with a .327 hitting percentage. Freshman Ariana Covington placed second on the squad with 12 kills and five digs, while sophomore Becky Stehling hit a team-best .400 with eight kills on 20 attacks. Sophomore Renee Horton dished-out 39 assists as LMU hit .241 (50-for-141) as a team.

Saint Mary's middle blockers were the key to success in the match, as junior Megan Burton and sophomore Shannon Lowell carried the Gael attackers. The pair combined for 30 kills in the match, while also adding eight blocks. Lowell paced the team with a .429 attack percentage (15-for-28), while Burton was not far behind with a .423 mark (15-for-26). The Lions had a tough time stopping the Gael middle hitters, which opened the net for others on the attack, as Megan York tabbed a team-high 19 kills and Taylor Groess added eight. Sophomore Kapua Kamana'o continued to run a stellar offense, leading the Gaels to a team .291 hitting mark, while three players posted double-digit kills. Kamana'o dished out 55 assists in the match, for a 13.75 assist per set average. In addition to her setting, the sophomore scooped up nine digs, collected a team-high five blocks, and recorded one ace.

The Gaels rode a 25-17 win in set one behind the arm of York. The sophomore tallied seven of her 19 kills in the first set alone, while posting an impressive .385 hitting percentage. Day and Covington paced the LMU offense in the set, collecting four kills apiece in the period. Saint Mary's serving proved to be a problem for the Lions, as they were aced three times in the set by three different Gael servers.

Day turned it on in the second set, guiding LMU to the 25-18 set victory with six kills on 16 attacks and seven digs. The Lions as a team hit .375 in the set, compared to the Gaels' .238. Horton recorded 12 assists in a set in which the Lions and Saint Mary's battled early. LMU broke a 10-10 tie, recording seven of the next nine points to force a Gael timeout at 17-12. The timeout did little to slow momentum as Covington notched two kills before a Saint Mary's attack error pushed the tally to 21-14 and forced the final Gael timeout. The Gaels fought-off two set points before Stehling found the floor to hand LMU the win.

Burton exploded for six kills on seven swings with no errors in the third set, as the Gaels went on to win the third, 25-19. As a team Saint Mary's posted a .310 hitting percentage, while holding the Lions to .171. Gael defense put two of the Lion attackers into the negative attacking range, forcing six errors in the set.

The fourth set was the Gaels' all the way, as the Lions were held to a .176 hitting mark. Lowell and Burton killed six and five balls each in the set, while posting .455 and .500 hitting marks, respectively. Kamana'o had plenty of options on the attack, as she totaled an amazing 17 assists in the set. The Gaels finished strong, defeating the Lions 25-13 in the final set to take the match victory.

LMU returns to action on Saturday when they host No. 15 Pepperdine at 7 p.m.