No. 14-ranked women’s volleyball (19-5, 13-0) easily swept up the LMU Lions tonight, 3-0. The win bumps up their set record to an impressive 15-0 in the past five games, and to 39-9 in conference matches. On the offensive end, senior Lilla Frederick led the Waves with 17 kills and she also nailed the team’s only serve ace. Senior Kim Hill added 12 kills and eight digs. Freshman Samantha Cash carried the team defensively with six blocks.Next up, the ladies face WCC rival St. Mary’s on Nov. 12 in an away game. In their last match-up the Waves stole a comeback win in five sets. “St. Mary’s isn’t just going to give us the win this time,” Cash said. “We’ve got to go out there and fight like our lives depend on it.” Tonight the ladies displayed some of that “fight,” as they managed to finish off each set, 26-24, 25-19 and 25-21. The first set proved to be the most difficult for the Waves despite their strong 11-5 start, which forced LMU to call an early timeout. However, that timeout appeared to be exactly what the Lions needed as they quickly narrowed the gap, 14-11. A flurry of kills by Frederick, Cash and Hill kept the Waves comfortably ahead, 19-14. The Lions remained undeterred. They went on a three point run late in the match to tie the Waves up 24-24. Ultimately, blocks by Hill and Cash allowed the ladies to claim the set win, 26-24. “We were working well together,” Cash said. “We want to go all the way this season.” In the next set, the Waves dominated early with a 5-0 run to help them earn a 9-3 lead. From then on, the teams battled through long rallies. Pepperdine had a scare towards the end of the match. Head coach Nina Matthies immediately signaled for a timeout when the Lions closed in, 21-16. But the ladies regained composure and cruised to a 25-19 win. The ladies jumped ahead by as much as seven points in the final set with a late 3-0 run, 21-14, with the help of kills by freshman Katie Messing, and a block courtesy of Cash and sophomore Kellie Woolever. The Lions responded with a 3-0 run of their own. Just as the set appeared to turn into a déjà vu of the first set, Matthies rounded in her team with a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Frederick nailed her 17th kill of the game to seal the set, 25-21, and to earn the Waves their 13th-straight WCC win. When asked how her team will approach their three remaining conference games, Cash replied, “Every game is a new challenge. We just need to always be there for each other on the court.”
