After winning two of three matches in Indianapolis last weekend, the Loyola Marymount University women's volleyball team begins West Coast Conference play at home this week against Santa Clara and San Francisco.
The Lions (6-6) won two of three matches at the Butler Bulldog Brawl, defeating Belmont on Friday, then losing to No. 19 Illinois on Saturday morning before beating Butler Saturday afternoon.
Belmont: In their straight-set win (25-13, 25-15, 25-18), the Lions were tied 8-8 in the first set before breaking loose and were never really threatened the rest of the match. Savannah Slattery had 12 kills, Tess Reid had 20 assists, and Bo Culo had 11 digs.
Illinois: LMU took the first set 26-24, battling back from a double-match point deficit (22-24) with points from Rose Booth and Meredith Teague. But the Illini cam back strong to win the final three sets, 25-17, 25-14, 25-11. Booth had 12 kills and Slattery 11, and Reid had 28 assists.
Butler: Booth again led the Lions in their four-set victory (25-17, 25-20, 24-26, 25-12), with 18 kills. Culo had 17 digs and Reid had 48 assists, as LMU began the final set on a 5-0 run and maintained control. Culo and Booth were named to the All-Tournament Team.
This week: Playing for the first time at Gersten Pavilion since the Alumni match Aug. 24, LMU hosts Santa Clara (10-3) on Sept. 26 (7 p.m.) and San Francisco (4-7) on Sept. 28 (1 p.m.). The Broncos are led by sophomore Michelle Shaffer (La Reina HS) and junior Gretchen Reinert (Santa Margarita HS).
