Nov. 6, 2001

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

This Week

The LMU women's volleyball team continues West Coast Conference action on the road this week. The Lions head north to face both San Francisco and No. 20 Santa Clara this weekend. LMU will first match-up against the San Francisco Dons on Friday, Nov. 9 and then prepare to face the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday, Nov. 10. Both contests are slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Recent Action

The Lions pushed their winning streak to five matches last week with a 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton. The streak came to an abrupt end though as LMU fell 3-0 to No. 13 Pepperdine over the weekend. It was the second meeting between the Lions and the Waves this season. Pepperdine swept the series as it recorded a 3-1 win in Malibu, Calif., earlier in the season.

Carlson Shines Against The Titans

Freshman Jody Carlson was one of five Lions to score double-digit kill totals in LMU's 3-1 win over Cal State Fullerton last Tuesday night. Carlson tallied 10 kills on 23 attempts and ended the night as the Lions' attack percentage leader with a .348 average. The native of Irvine, Calif., also picked up the first double-double of her collegiate career as she collected 15 digs against the Titans as well. Carlson, who is third on the squad with 33 total blocks, also contributed the Lions' fifth straight win with two blocks, two service aces and one assist.

Gallup Grinding Her Way Into The Record Books

Junior Kristen Gallup has enjoyed an offensive explosion this year. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter leads all Lions with 373 kills on the season. She is just is just 36 kills shy of breaking into the record book for single-season kills total. Gallup is also on her way into the kill average record book. Should the season end today, she would rank sixth all-time with her current 4.78 kill per game average.

Ending The Streak

LMU has learned that the old adage, "All good things must come to an end" is true. The Lions five-match winning streak, the longest of the season, came to end with a disappointing 3-0 home loss to cross town rival Pepperdine last Saturday night. The winning streak marked the longest string of wins since the 2000 Lions began the year with seven straight victories.

Oehlman Moves To Fifth On Career Assists Chart

Setter Nicole Oehlman has already made it into the LMU career record book for assists in just her second season as a Lion. Oehlman finished her rookie campaign with 1,287 assists which would have placed her seventh all-time if not for the two-season minimum for career marks. Add to that the 932 assists she has racked up this year and it moves her to fifth all-time with 2,219 career assists. Oehlman is preparing to move up another notch on the all-time list, she is just 63 behind Anita Irwin for fourth place all-time.

Lions In The Rankings

After falling out of the rankings weeks ago, the Lions have yet to climb back in. LMU began the 2001 season ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll.

Stratos Update

Head coach Steve Stratos is entering his 12th year at the helm of the Loyola Marymount women's volleyball program. In 11 seasons at LMU, Stratos has led the Lions to eight 20-win seasons and eight postseason appearances, including four consecutive in the NCAA Championships. Including the Lions record in 2001, Stratos has posted a career total of 245-109, for a .692 winning percentage, the highest in LMU volleyball history and second among current WCC coaches. In West Coast Conference action, he owns a record of 124-40, for a .756 winning percentage. With 124 career conference victories, Stratos ranks second among current WCC coaches.

Injury Update

The 2001 Lions will be without the services of outside hitter Jaimee Brubacher and setter Kelly Ward this season. Brubacher's volleyball career has come to an unfortunate end due to suffering from severe shin splints with compartment syndrome. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native ended her career with 389 kills and 463 digs. Ward, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., will no longer compete due to a back injury. Both Brubacher and Ward will remain a part of the LMU volleyball team supporting the squad and coaches in administrative roles.

Weekend Recap:

at Cal State Fullerton - Oct. 30

Junior Kristen Gallup, one of five Lions who reached double figures in kills, had a match-high 23 to pace LMU to a 30-28, 30-19, 23-30, 30-22 win over Cal State Fullerton in a non-conference women's volleyball match at Titan Gym Oct. 30. The Titans were the early aggressors, staking out an 18-9 lead in the first game. But LMU, which led only five times in the game, made the most of its late efforts, breaking a 28-28 tie with a service ace by freshman Jody Carlson and winning on an attack error by the Titans' Be Holcombe. The Titans grabbed the first point of game two, but LMU immediately scored a pair of points to take the lead and never trailed the rest of the game. Freshman Dina DeBernardi had a game-high five kills for the Lions. Fullerton finally found the winning column in game three, jumping out a 4-0 lead and never trailing the rest of the way. The Titans held the Lions to a .115 attack percentage in the game, by far their lowest of the match, while hitting .239, their best effort of the match. The Lions led for all of game five and were never threatened down the stretch. Junior Laura Gustorf, sophomore Kealani Kimball, Carlson and DeBernardi all reached double figures in kills for the Lions and Nicole Oehlman had 57 assists.

vs. Pepperdine - Nov. 3

The Lions saw their five-match winning streak come to an end at the hand of rival and 13th ranked Pepperdine 3-0 in a West Coast Conference match at Gersten Pavilion on Saturday evening. The Waves (17-3, 10-0) left little doubt why they are perfect in the WCC and one of the top ranked teams this season. Pepperdine bent as the Lions kept games one and two tight, but the Waves never broke in cruising in game three for the sweep, 30-23, 30-28, 30-19. The Lions fall to 13-8 and 6-4 in the conference. Game one went back and forth, with neither team building a lead of greater than four until the Waves earned five straight to take a 26-21 lead. The Lions would never recover, as they would hit a mere .146 as a team and be led by freshman Dina DeBernardi and her four kills. Game two look to be more of the same, with both teams going back-and-forth until the Waves took a four-point lead at 17-13. However, the Lions would climb back and tie the game at 26, again at 27 and at 28 before Pepperdine would score the final two points to take game two. DeBernardi would have another four kills in the game, as would freshman Jody Carlson and sophomore Kealani Kimball. The Waves would pull away in the third, as the Lions never led. DeBernardi would lead the Lions with 12 kills, followed by Kimball's 10, who would earn a double-double with 10 digs.

The Dish On The Lady Dons

San Francisco welcomes LMU to the Bay Area with a 9-11 overall record and a 4-6 mark in WCC play. Amanda Willnerd is the Dons' offensive leader with 204 kills on the season. Teresa Russell leads the squad with a 3.68 kill per game average and a .263 hitting percentage. Russell is also the team leader in blocks with 57 this year. A win this weekend for USF would give them a sweep in the series for the year. The Dons recorded a 3-2 victory at Gersten Pavilion earlier this season.

About The Broncos

No. 20 Santa Clara currently stands in second place in the West Coast Conference with a 9-2 conference mark and a 17-7 overall record. The Broncos are looking for their fifth straight win as they have not lost a match since Oct. 23. SCU is led offensively by Becky Potter who has tallied 317 kills on the year. Potter is also effective at the net just one block behind the leader, Toni Muratore, who has 45 this season. Merrin Thompson guards the floor for the Broncos, she has collected a team leading 288 digs. This weekend's contest marks the second meeting of the year between the two schools. Santa Clara recorded a 3-0 win earlier in the season and holds a 25-15 series advantage over LMU.