|
Lions Drop Decision to No. 17 Pepperdine, 3-1
Oct. 11, 2008
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - LMU (10-7, 0-3) dropped a hard-fought four-set battle to No. 17 Pepperdine (14-1, 2-1), 25-23, 25-19, 25-27, 25-16 on Saturday night in West Coast Conference action in Gersten Pavilion. Senior Emily Day once again led the Lions in the match, totaling a match-high tying 17 kills on 47 attacks. The native of Torrance, Calif. teamed the kill total with nine digs, second-best for the team on the night. Freshman Ariana Covington amassed 14 kills in the loss, while sophomore setter Renee Horton dished-out 35 assists as LMU hit .184 (44-for-136) on the night. Freshman Christa Scholtz paced the team in digs, notching a career-best 10 in the match. Junior outside hitter Rachel Lumsden hit .500 with 15 kills on 30 swings to lead the Wave offense. In addition to being errorless on the night, she added nine digs. Julie Rubenstein had 17 kills and 12 digs for a double-double, while freshman Lilla Frederick also recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs. Kiah Fiers ran the Pepperdine offense efficiently, posting 49 assists as the Waves hit .343 (66-for-134) over the course of the match, while freshman libero Stevi Robinson collected a match-high tying 14 digs. Both teams came out strong in the first set, battling to an early 6-6 tie. A kill by Fiers made it 11-9 in favor of Pepperdine before LMU decided to call its first timeout of the set. The timeout served its purpose as the Lions scratched back to even at 12 en route to taking an 18-15 lead to force a Wave timeout. LMU continued what proved to be a 5-1 run after the break, claiming a 20-16 advantage before Pepperdine caught fire. The Waves went on a 6-1 run to take a 22-21 lead on a Rubenstein kill, forcing the final LMU timeout. Cassie Chamberlain proved to be the difference maker in the set, recording a kill and a service ace in the period to push the set to its final point. After LMU fought-off one set point at 24-22, Covington was hit with a service error to hand the Waves the first set.
Day recorded seven of her 17 kills to lead all players in the second set, but it wasn't enough to even the match score at one set apiece. The set was tied 5-5 when the Waves went on a 7-1 run, as three kills from Rubenstein plus three miscues by the Lions helped Pepperdine out to a 12-6 advantage. LMU got no closer than four points the rest of the way. Lumsden scored the Waves' final two points, including the set-clincher, on kills. Rubenstein and Lumsden each had five kills in the second set, and the Waves improved their hitting to .500 (up from .135 in the first). LMU answered back in set three, winning a dramatic battle that was decided in extra points. Covington notched six kills on 11 attacks in the set as LMU hit .343 as a team. The two teams traded blows throughout, battling to 18 ties over the set, including every point except one from 13-13 to 25-25. Pepperdine had the set at set point at 24-23 after a Chamberlain kill, but could not hold the Lions down as Covington found the floor to knot things again. Day posted a kill on the ensuing play, handing LMU the advantage and forcing a Pepperdine timeout. This time it was Rubenstein and the Waves who avoided the final dagger, pushing the tally to 25-25. LMU proved relentless as Day once again recorded a kill, one of her five on the set, to push the period to set point again. Becky Stehling dropped back to serve for the set, recording one of LMU's six service aces on the night for the win. Once again, the two teams fought blow-for-blow early, playing to a 10-10 tie. After that point, Pepperdine took control of the set and match. The Waves benefited from a Lion attack error and a bad set, while Lumsden notched a service ace to put Pepperdine on top 13-10. The 17th-ranked team in the nation went on another 3-0 run just one point later, highlighted by kills from Frederick and Rubenstein to make it 16-11. The deficit only got bigger from that point on, as Pepperdine used another string of four unanswered points to push the score to 21-13. After another Frederick kill pushed the match to its final point, Chamberlain put the final point to the floor to give Pepperdine the victory. LMU hit -.034 (7-for-29) in the final set, compared to .333 (15-for-30) for the Waves. LMU returns to action on Thursday when they host WCC foe Portland at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion. |
