Sept. 4, 2008

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK...

BRIEFLY...
Following a successful showing in which the Lions finished 2-1 at the 2008 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic in Albuquerque, N.M. last weekend, LMU will now hop on a plane to Murfreesboro, Tenn. and the Blue Raider Bash hosted by No. 15 Middle Tennessee State this weekend.

FOLLOWWW THE LIONS...
It's easy to follow the Lions throughout the 2008 season! Just log on to LMULions.com for all the latest Lion volleyball coverage.  All LMU home matches, and the majority of the matches on the road, will be broadcast live via Gametracker.  In addition, every Lion home match will also be broadcast online courtesy of the Lions Audio Network.  Just visit the Lion volleyball page at www.LMULions.com, click on schedule, and click on the link located on the right side of the schedule for that particular match.

GAMEDAY AT GERSTEN...
Fans, come cheer on the Lions this year in Gersten Pavilion.  LMU will host 15 home matches this season (including three matches in Burns Recreation Center as part of the LMU Four Points Sheraton LAX/LMU Volleyball Classic).  When traveling to the venue, please remember that the Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at One LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport.  Fans traveling to LMU must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive.  Those seeking handicap parking must also use the main entrance, where they can get directions from the guard at the front gate.  Gersten's doors open one hour before the start of the match.

TEAM LMU THIS WEEK...
Sunday's men's soccer match against UC Santa Barbara will be the second of four "Team LMU" days around the Westchester campus for men's soccer.  "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days.  Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games.

LION TRACKS...
LMU is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the 2008 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic on Friday and Saturday.  The Lions opened the tournament with a bang, defeating Idaho State 3-1 by scores of 25-13, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20. Senior Emily Day led all players in the match with 16 kills and three service aces, connecting at a .174 clip on 46 total attacks. Sophomore Megan Nash was virtually unstoppable in the match, posting a .500 attack percentage (11-for-22) and no attack errors.  Not to be outdone, sophomore Becky Stehling hit an impressive .435 (12-for-23), and freshman Ariana Covington contributed 11 kills in her first match for the Lions.  LMU went on to sweep Central Arkansas in match two of the tournament, 25-22, 25-21, 25-20, on Saturday.  Day once again led the Lions to the victory, notching her second consecutive double-double after teaming a match-best 16 kills with 12 digs.  For the second consecutive match, LMU did a stellar job of holding its opponent to low hitting percentages. Central Arkansas managed to post marks of .114 (12-for-44), .061 (six-for-33) and -.023 (11-for-43) over the course of the match.  LMU reached the Tournament Championship match on Saturday night, falling to host University of New Mexico, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22.  Day notched a team-best nine kills, a block solo, a block assist and 10 digs as LMU finished as the tournament runner-up.  Following the match, Day, Stehling and Nash were each named to the MCM Elegante Lobo Classic All-Tournament team.

A LOOK AT THE LADY BISON...
Lipscomb, the 2007 Atlantic Sun Volleyball Champions, enter the weekend tournament toting a 1-3 mark after dropping all three matches at the Morehead State Tournament last weekend.  The Lady Bison fell in a five-set match to Western Illinois to open the season on Friday before succumbing to the same fate later that night against Indiana State.  Running-up against host Morehead State on Saturday, Lipscomb dropped a 3-1 decision to finish winless on the weekend.  The team, coached by fifth-year head coach Brandon Rosenthal, bounced back to record its first victory of the year on Tuesday, earning a 3-1 decision over Austin Peay.  Alex Kelly leads the offensive attack for the Lady Bison, totaling 76 kills and 4.22 kills per set.  Kelly is also the most active player at the net, collecting five block solos and 14 block assists to the tune of a 1.06 blocks per set average.  The centerpiece of the offense is Stefine Pease, who through four matches has dished-out 187 assists and 10.39 per set.

BLUE RAIDER BANTER...
No. 15 Middle Tennessee State, which was picked to win the Sun Belt East in the preseason poll, will serve as the host team this weekend at the Blue Raider Bash.  The Blue Raiders, coached by fifth-year head coach Matt Peck, began the season as the No. 15 team according to the AVCA, and remained in that spot this week after posting three victories last weekend at the Middle Tennessee Invitational.  The team defeated Idaho in four sets on Friday before sweeping Southeast Missouri State in the first of two matches on Saturday.  South Dakota State was the next squad in the path of the Blue Raiders, falling 3-1 in the final match of the tournament.  Middle Tennessee State brings a balanced attack on offense, presenting three or more players with thirty or more kills over three matches played.  Ashley Mead paces the pack with 36, followed closely by Ashley Asberry with 35 and Izabela Kozon with 33.  The setter for the Blue Raiders is Leslie Clark with 131 assists, while Asberry leads the team with 14 total blocks at an average of 1.27 per set.

MASTERING THE MOUNTAINEERS...
Appalachian State enters the Blue Raider Bash with a 0-3 record after dropping each of its matches at the Tribe Invitational hosted by William and Mary last weekend.  Eastern Michigan got the best of the Mountaineers on Friday before the University of Maryland-Baltimore County swept ASU in the first of two matches on Saturday.  William and Mary put the finishing touches on the tournament with a 3-1 win over the Mountaineers on Saturday night.  Second-year head coach Matt Ginipro's squad is led by All-Tournament selection Carla Durham on offense.  Durham has amassed 37 kills at an average of 3.36 per set over three matches thus far this season.  Lauren Swecker and Jordan Jesberg also help to carry the weight, totaling 21 kills apiece on the young campaign.  Kasey Sauls and Charissa Clearman seem to be splitting time running the offense, as Sauls has dished-out 50 assists to Clearman's 45.  Durham not only leads the team on the attack, but also at the defensive side of the net, posting four block solos and six block assists for an average of 0.91 blocks per set.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE CHATTER...
The 2008 season got off to a fast start with three teams coming away with undefeated records. Pepperdine, San Diego, and Saint Mary's all finished the opening weekend with 3-0 records. Pepperdine won the Radisson Suites Buena Park Invitational, San Diego took home the San Diego State Invitational crown, while Saint Mary's won the Fresno State Tournament. All three teams featured All-Tournament MVP winners. WCC Player of the Week, Julie Rubenstein won the award for Pepperdine, Amy DeGroot won for San Diego, and Megan York took home the award for Saint Mary's. With their tournament win, the Toreros remain in the top 25 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll at No. 21, which is up one spot from the preseason poll. In other WCC action, Loyola Marymount came away with a winning record going 2-1 at the New Mexico Tournament losing in the tournament final. Rounding out the bottom half of the standings, Santa Clara went 1-1 at the Utah Ute Invitational, Portland went 1-2 at the Montana State Holiday Inn Classic, San Francisco went 1-2 at the Long Beach State Tournament, and Gonzaga went 1-3 at the Montana University Tournament.

LOBO CLASSIC TRIFECTA...
Senior Emily Day and sophomores Megan Nash and Becky Stehling were named to the 2008 MCM Elegante Lobo Classic All-Tournament team after leading the Lions to a runner-up finish at the two-day event.  Day, who like Nash and Stehling, started all three matches for LMU on the weekend, finished the tournament with 41 kills, two assists, four service aces and 37 digs.  As always, Day was active at the net, posting a block solo in each of the three matches, seven total block assists and 10 total blocks.  As expected, Day was a go-to player from the start, averaging 4.10 kills per set during the tournament.  Nash found time in all 10 sets for the Lions over the weekend, posting 18 kills at a .362 clip (18-for-47) and making only one attack error.  In addition, the Manhattan Beach, Calif. native dished-up two assists and collected 10 digs.  Playing an essential role in the Lions' defense at the net, she tallied one block solo, 12 block assists, including eight against Idaho State on Friday, for a total of 13 blocks on the tournament.  Stehling also played in all 10 sets for the Lions, collecting 28 kills at a .356 clip (28-7/59).  The native of Austin, Texas also posted five block assists, including four in the Championship Match against New Mexico.  Stehling posted 12 of her 28 kills in the opening match on Friday, connecting at a .435 clip (12-2/23).  She proceeded to hit .350 on Saturday morning, tallying 10 kills on 20 attacks and committing three errors.
 
LMU RECORD BOOKS...
Three Lions have already cemented their names in the LMU record books as the Lions continue to play in 2008.  Senior Emily Day currently ranks seventh in total attacks (2,994) and kill average at 3.38, and 10th in kills (1,078) and dig average (2.80).  In addition, she sits just 28 digs from the No. 10 spot in the books.  Sophomore Renee Horton already ranks eighth in assists in a single season, totaling 1,318 last year.  Combined with this year's numbers, Horton has totaled 1,402 assists in less than two years of play, ranking eighth in the LMU record books in that category.  The native of Wildomar, Calif. is also a lock to enter the career assists average top-10 list at the end of the season.  Like Horton, fellow sophomore Whitney Leonard already pervades the single-season record books after one year at LMU, claiming second in dig average (4.53) and sixth in total digs (426).  On the career records side, she is in prime position to place in the top-10 for dig average at the end of the season.

THE STATS ON STRAT...
Steve Stratos completed his 18th season at the helm of the program with an 18th straight winning year in 2007.  In his tenure at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to nine 20-win seasons and 11 postseason appearances.  He has posted a career record of 361-179, the most victories in LMU volleyball history and second-most among current WCC coaches.  His .669 winning percentage entering the 2008 season placed him in the top-50 (46th) among active Division I coaches.  In conference play, he owns a record of 170-82, for a .675 winning percentage.  With 170 career conference victories, Stratos again ranks second among active coaches in the WCC.