MATCH STATS
- San Diego defeats LMU, 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 26-24)
- San Diego improves to 15-4; LMU drops to 12-8
- Los Angeles, California
- Attendance: 380
- Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Toreros have won five straight after defeating the LMU lions Thursday night. This is their 13th sweep of the season.
San Diego hit .311 on the night, with a .455 hitting percentage in the third set, as they held LMU to a .235 clip. The Lions out blocked the Toreros 8-6.
San Diego setter Kristen Gengenbacher totaled 47 assists and 9 digs, to go with two block assists. On the other side of the net, Tess Reid and Jessie Prichard notched 17 assists each and combined for 7 digs.
Three Toreros players posted double-figure kills in Jayden Kennedy and Addie Picha with 13 kills each, and Kaity Edwards not too far behind at 12 kills. Picha and Edwards had impressive hitting percentages at .524 and .526, respectively.
LMU’s offense was spread, as 4 players posted 7 kills each, as Meredith Teague led the pack with just one error on a .462 clip.
Both teams will continue with West Coast Conference Play as USD takes on Pepperdine and LMU hosts BYU.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of San Diego Athletics
LOS ANGELES – Jayden Kennedy and Addie Picha led the team with 13 kills apiece as San Diego earned its 13th sweep of the season, defeating Loyola Marymount, 3-0, on Thursday night.
The Toreros (15-4, 8-1 WCC) won their fifth match in a row (25-23, 25-22, 26-24) and have reeled off 13 consecutive set victories, dating back to the final set of a 3-2 win at Pacific on Oct. 5.
USD dominated play with a hitting percentage of .311. In addition to Kennedy and Picha’s 26 kills, Kaity Edwards added 12 kills of her own. Edwards had a solid night at the net as well, notching a team-high three blocks.
Kristen Gegenbacher, Lizzy Tardeiu and Tanyel Merve combined to produce 25 digs.
Despite earning its fourth consecutive sweep, the Toreros had to battle for the clean-sheet result. Each set stayed within a two-to-three point advantage for each team for a majority of the match.
The Toreros faced deficits in each set but was able to rally toward the end to secure the victory.
USD returns to action Saturday at noon (PT) when it travels to Pepperdine. The match will be streamed on TheW.tv and live statistics will be available via USDToreros.com.
Courtesy of Loyola Marymount Athletics
Competing against #18 San Diego (15-4, 8-1 WCC) on Thursday night in Gersten Pavilion, LMU volleyball (12-8, 5-4 WCC) played the Toreros tough, but could not win a set in a three-set loss. All three of the sets were decided by three points or less, as USD earned the victory by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 26-24.
Thursday’s setback was the first loss on a Thursday this year for LMU (4-1), and it also snapped a four-match home win streak for the Lions.
San Diego hit .311 in the victory, receiving 13 kills apiece from Jayden Kennedy and Addie Picha, and 12 more from Kaity Edwards. Picha hit .524 over 21 attacks, while Edwards managed a .526 clip on 19 swings.
Senior setter Kristen Gengenbacher set the attack to the solid percentage, dishing out 47 assists and adding nine digs to narrowly miss a double-double.
While no Lion player finished in double-digits for kills, LMU did win the serving and blocking battle with the Toreros. The Lions served up five aces and posted eight total blocks. Alexis Morrow and Meredith Teague each had four block assists, while Teague also served up an ace. Teague had an all-around solid night in the setback, teaming her blocks with a team-high tying seven kills on 13 swings for a .462 hitting percentage. Senior Kristen Castellanos led all players with 10 digs, while Jessie Prichard and Tess Reid each had 17 assists.
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The two teams played to 24 tie scores and 10 lead changes over the course of the match, as LMU held a 20-17 lead in the first set only to have San Diego win seven of the next eight points to take command of the first.
It was a similar story in the second, as LMU led 16-13, and held a lead as late as 21-20. San Diego again went on a run, earning five of the final six points down the stretch to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
San Diego hit a blistering .455 in the final set to earn the sweep, but it was LMU that led 17-14 following a block from Sara Kovac and Morrow. Three straight USD points knotted the set at 17-17, beginning a see-saw battle to the finish. Still even at 24-24, Edwards connected for her fifth kill of the period before Lauren Fuller and Edwards combined to stuff Kovac on the attack to register the sweep.
LMU will look to get back on track against #8 BYU on Saturday at Noon. The match against the WCC leader is LMU’s DiG PiNK match benefitting the fight against breast cancer. Fans can donate to the cause by visiting lmulions.com/digpink.
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