Nov. 22, 2002
Box Score
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's women's volleyball team defeated Loyola Marymount, 3-1. Individual game scores were 27-30, 31-29, 30-23, and 30-22. With the win the Gaels improved to 9-17 overall and 6-7 in West Coast Conference action. The Lions fell to 15-11 and 6-7 in WCC play.
It took the Gaels a while to warm up, as they quickly fell behind in game one. The Gaels trailed 28-20 before they finally started to heat up. Saint Mary's managed to score seven of the games next nine points before falling by three to the Lions. However, the run ignited the Gael players and the crowd, allowing Saint Mary's to grab control of the match's momentum.
Game two was a hard fought battle by both sides. There were a total of 14 tie scores and eight lead changes throughout the game. The Gaels broke a 29-29 tie score by forcing LMU to commit an attack error. LMU's head coach then called for a timeout to regroup. Unfortunately, for the Lions, the Gaels' Jill Parmele managed to stay focused during the timeout and came out swinging, landing the games final kill. Saint Mary's took the match 31-29.
In game three, Saint Mary's jumped out to a commanding 16-10 lead. However, LMU battled back and cut the Gaels' lead to a one point 18-17 advantage. The Gaels remained un-phased and went right back to work, scoring 11 of the game's next 17 points. The Gaels won the game by a seven-point margin, hitting .326 as a team.
Game four's defining moment came when senior setter Brooke Lowry dove head first, slipping what seemed to be nothing more than her fingernails underneath a hard hit LMU attack. Lowry got there just in time, and deflected the attack off the back of her flattened hand as she went sliding across the floor. And, as if the dig she made wasn't amazing enough, Lowry somehow managed to hit the ball with enough force to knock it over the net for a kill. After that, the Gaels had all the confidence they needed, and eventually took the game by an eight-point margin.
The Gaels were led by senior setter Brooke Lowry who posted a double-double recording a career-high 26 digs and a match-high 52 assists. Lowry also managed to add six blocks and five kills in just eight attempts. Jill Parmele also played an incredible match, as she too posted a double-double, tying a career-high of 18 kills and also posting 15 digs. Rachel Avilla hit .333 in the match recording 15 kills and tallying 9 digs. Meg Hauser and Kaui Salzman provided control, posting 11 and 15 digs, respectively. Stacey O'cconnor made her presence known, posting 10 kills and six block assists.
The Lions were led by Kristen Gallup. Gallup posted 12 kills and a team high 21 digs. Courtney Chai dished out a team-high 45 assists, while Jody Corlson posted a team-high 13 kills.
Come and support the Gaels and their seniors, as they take the court for the final time against #8 Pepperdine tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. in McKeon Pavilion.
