Nov. 11, 2005

Pepperdine - 3
LMU - 1

Los Angeles, Calif. - Loyola Marymount topped Pepperdine in almost every statistical category Friday, but it was the Waves who left Gersten Pavilion with the 3-1 (30-23, 12-30, 30-25, 30-27) West Coast Conference victory. It was the final WCC home contest for the Lions, who honored their four seniors prior to the start of the match.

The Lions out-dug Pepperdine 90-74, led by Lauren Kirk's match-high 32 digs. The 32 dig mark is the highest for any Lion this season and a career mark for the freshman.

Emily Day, the reigning WCC Player of the Week, once again put up solid numbers with a match-high 19 kill, 15 dig outing. She also served the Lions' two aces on the night.

Senior Dina Debernardi was one of three other Lions to join Day in double-digit kills, as she tallied 12 kills and six blocks while hitting .367. Christianna Reneau (12 kills, 23 digs) and Sandy Krone (10 kills, four blocks) were the other Lions in double-digits.

Heather Hughes equaled her career-high set last week with 44 assists, and added 10 digs and eight kills.

Though the first game was tied as late as 18-18, Pepperdine went on a late-game five-point run to take a 27-21 lead. Day stopped the run with her sixth kill of the night, but the Waves sealed the game one win at 30-23.

Game two was all LMU, as the Lions never trailed. LMU built as high as an 18-point advantage after Hughes served the Lions to five straight points. A block by Krone and DeBernardi earned the Lions game point at 29-11, and Reneau finished-off the 30-12 game win with her fourth kill. The Lions held Pepperdine below zero in team hitting percentage, and out-dug the Waves 16 to six.

Pepperdine hit a team match-high .265 in game three and led by as many as nine points at two different times in the game. Trailing 26-18, the Lions scored four straight on two kills by Day and one by Krone. But the run wasn't enough, as the Waves took game three 30-25.

The Waves held a 23-21 led in game four, forcing LMU to take a timeout. The Lions came out of the break to tied the game and eventually take a one point lead on a kill by Reneau. But four straight points earned Pepperdine match point at 29-25. The Lions held it off twice on kills by DeBernardi and Day, but the Waves ended the match at 30-27.

LMU honored its four seniors prior to tonight's match, as DeBernardi, Audrey Francis, Krista Houseman, and Michelle Look played their final home WCC contest.

With two WCC matches remaining, LMU remains in fifth place, one match behind fourth-place Saint Mary's. The Lions topped the Gales last week 3-1.

The Lions will wrap-up WCC play on the road next weekend, taking on Gonzaga and Portland on Thursday and Saturday. Both matches are slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. LMU's final regular season match-up will be with UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, November 22, in Gersten Pavilion.

Saint Mary's - 3
Gonzaga - 0

Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's volleyball team avenged an earlier West Coast Conference loss to Gonzaga by sweeping the Bulldogs 3-0 on Friday night at McKeon Pavilion. The Gaels cruised to a 30-25, 30-17, 30-16 victory on their home court.

With the win the Gaels snap a two-match losing streak and improve to 16-7 overall and 7-4 in West Coast Conference play. Gonzaga dropped to 10-18 overall and 2-9 in WCC play.

Saint Mary's was led offensively by Missie Stidham, who had a match-high 16 kills with a .382 hitting percentage. Stidham also added eight digs and three blocks.

Cassandra Kolkka also had a solid game for the Gaels, recording eight kills with a .462 hitting percentage, eight digs, four blocks and three aces. Christina Kirk anchored the middle for the Gaels, recording nine kills and eight blocks.

Senior Kaui Salzman had nine kills, five digs, five blocks and two aces and Mandy Bible recorded 35 assists, six digs, six blocks, four aces and three kills, while leading the offense.

As a team the Gaels recorded 17 blocks and held the Bulldogs to a .022 hitting percentage. Saint Mary's as a team hit .302 and recorded 11 service aces.

Saint Mary's returns to action on Saturday, November 12 when it hosts Portland at 7:05 p.m. at McKeon Pavilion.

San Diego - 3
Santa Clara - 2

SAN DIEGO, CA - In a night that seniors Lindsey Sherburne and Jackie Bernardin shattered all-time school and league records, No. 22 San Diego defeated No. 10 Santa Clara 3-2 in front of 1,103 fans at USD's Jenny Craig Pavilion Friday night. USD (19-5; 8-4 WCC) ended a 15-game Santa Clara (21-2; 11-1 WCC) win-streak while assuring themselves a place in December's NCAA Tournament.

USD sophomore Moira McCarthy (pictured) put down three key points in San Diego's 15-8 Game Five victory. Complete game scores went (27-30, 30-26, 30-22, 26-30 & 15-8).

San Diego setter, senior All-American Lindsey Sherburne (Saratoga, CA), totaled 61 assists to bring her career total to 5,734, breaking the all-time WCC assist record set by Santa Clara's Roz Pelayo (5,732 assists from 1997-00).

Classmate Jackie Bernardin (Bakersfield, CA), who already owns USD's season (510 in 2004) and single-match (38 at St. Mary's 11/21/05) dig records had a match-best 31 digs Friday night, surpassing former USD All-American and Olympian Petia Yanchulova (1996-99) as the school's all-time dig leader with 1,357. The sophomore transfer from the University of Texas achieved the feat in just three seasons as a Torero.

With three matches remaining on USD's 2005 fall schedule, the Toreros have firmly established themselves as one of the nation's top 25 teams, having beaten No. 21 California, No. 25 Long Beach State and now 10th-ranked Santa Clara. Having already clinched the WCC Championship, the Broncos, 11-0 in league play coming in, were attempting to complete an undefeated WCC season- a feat USD achieved a year ago.

A quick Santa Clara start in Game One put USD behind early. All-WCC MH Christie Dawson continued to impress as San Diego's primary attacker, totaling a match-best 20 kills. Dawson, who entered the season owning a modest career-high of 15 kills, has now reached 20+ kills in eight different matches this season- totaling 20 or more in four of USD's last six contests.

Santa Clara saw both Kim McGiven and Cassie Perret reach 16 kills. The Broncos played Friday night without seventh-year head coach Jon Wallace, who was attending to the birth of his second child.

San Francisco - 3
Portland - 0

San Francisco, CA - USF volleyball wasted little time dispatching visiting Portland in West Coast Conference play in a 30-24, 30-22, 30-23 victory Friday night at War Memorial Gym. With the win the Dons (16-11, 3-8 WCC) defeat the Pilots (4-19, 1-10 WCC) for the seventh consecutive time.

San Francisco hit at a .315 clip for the match, led by junior outside hitter Theresa Hart who recorded 14 kills on .520 hitting to go along with a season-high five aces while the Dons' turned in an outstanding defensive effort, keyed by sophomore libero Brynn Maurer. The Newport Beach native recorded her 900th career dig with her first against Portland and finished with 27 on the night - the best tally in program history for a three-game match.

Sophomore outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg hammered a match-high 20 kills on .317 hitting to go along with three aces. Freshman setter Darcy Carroll set a nice match for the Dons and turned in her first career double-double performance with 43 assists and 11 digs to go along with three kills. Senior middle blocker KeLicia Shorts finished with nine kills and two blocks (one solo). San Francisco finished with a season-high 11 service aces.

USF limited the Pilots to a .148 attack percentage. Freshman middle blocker Jennifer Sheedy led the way for the Pilots offensively with 10 kills and three digs, while freshman middle blocker Ashley Grayson chipped in seven kills. Junior libero Murphy McClenahan recorded a team-high 19 digs.

San Francisco returns to action when it hosts Gonzaga in the 2005 home regular season finale Saturday. First serve against the Bulldogs is set for 7:00 PM at War Memorial Gym. Senior Night festivities honoring the careers of seniors KeLicia Shorts and Jencie Lejeune begins at 6:45 PM. Following the match, USF men's basketball will play its final exhibition game of the season against Sonoma State.