The nationally ranked No. 20 women’s volleyball team just came out of a decisive victory over rival school Loyola Marymount Wednesday. Though LMU attempted to put up a fight, the Waves clearly dominated the game, shutting the Lions out 3-0. This victory leaves the Waves record at 10-5 overall and 4-0 in the WCC. Loyola had no chance with the Waves offense and defense playing at peak performance; the Waves had 41 kills throughout the match and 11 blocks on the defensive end. They held LMU (9-8, 3-2 WCC) to only 27 kills and a meager four rejects defensively.
The Waves started off the match with an aggressive front, leading the first set early on with an 8-1 advantage and ending it at 25-11. Junior Victoria Adelheim and senior Kim Hill put on flawless performances with four kills and three kills respectively. Though the Lions managed to slow down the Waves slightly during the second set, freshman Samanatha Cash’s defensive ability kept the Lions from ever gaining momentum.
Cash had seven blocks while Sophmore setter Kellie Woolever led the offensive end with 31 assists. During the third set the Waves allowed LMU only two kills, while managing four kills of their own, plus two aces and a block. However, for the first time during the match, the Lions managed to tie halfway through the third set tying it up at 17-17. Although the Lions managed to tie, the Waves crushed any dreams of a comeback with 5 unanswered points. The set ended with a final score of 25-18.
The Lady Waves put on an impressive performance as a team. Several players stood out for their contributions: Adelhelm, Hill and Senior Katie Messing on the offense tip and Cash as the teams defensive centerpiece.
This impressive performance marks a trend being set by the Lady Waves. In their past few games against top teams such as Portland, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, the Waves have taken a perfect balance of offense and defense and turned it into success. In their game against Portland, Hill joined the 1,000 kill club with her aggressive gameplay. Against Gonzaga, Cash had a record 16 blocks the performance highlighted her defensive ability. Most recently against Saint Mary’s, Hill had a record 25 kills.
The Waves return to Malibu this Saturday to play BYU for the first time this year. BYU enters the game coming of off wins against LMU and St.Mary’s.
