The Lion volleyball team took on the St. Mary’s Gaels in a West Coast Conference matchup at Gersten Pavilion. In the midst of a winning streak, LMU looked to keep it going versus their conference rivals, who beat them in their most recent meeting last year.
The team secured a handful of aces early in set one, jumping out to a 15–11 lead, highlighted by four assists from Isabella Bareford. Following a rally from the Gaels, LMU put together one of their own, with Audrey Klemp’s five kills being the catalyst. The Lions closed out the first set comfortably, 25–19.
The second set saw St. Mary’s regain their footing. The Gaels kept pace with LMU; four kills saw the opponent gain a narrow lead. Kari Geissberger provided the spark to get the Lions back into the set, with multiple scoring plays for her team. The Lions never looked back, ending set two with an ace to win 25–18. Bareford finished the set with 23 total assists for the game.
LMU continued to roll in straight sets, never falling behind by more than two points early on.
The prevailing team effort saw them secure another ace, with Geissberger playing into what seemed like every point. St. Mary’s wasn’t going away quietly, though, prompting a Lion timeout when the score read 15–13.
Following three consecutive scores for LMU, St. Mary’s took one of their own. However, the stoppage didn’t do much for the Gaels; the Lions ended the set and game on a 10–3 run, winning 25–16.
Continuing to be a key player for the Lions throughout this stretch of consecutive victories, sophomore middle blocker Jaquelyn Moore finished the night with six kills, a block, and two assists in the win.
“I felt like our team did a really great job of both serving and passing. Our coaches told us in the locker room that, statistically, this was our best passing game,” Moore said. “Sometimes, you play teams where it’s about your side of the net —where you have to make sure you’re mentally in the game and staying on the gas.”
Now with an overall record of 9–6 on the season, LMU’s volleyball team will look to push on and secure a spot in this year’s NCAA postseason tournament.
