Los Angeles, CA - The University of Portland women's volleyball opened WCC play with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-25, 30-23) loss to the Loyola Marymount Lions on Fri., Oct. 4 in Los Angeles, CA. Portland moves to 10-5 overall, 0-1 in the WCC. The Lions improve to 10-3 on the season, 1-0 in WCC play.

LMU’s Kristen Gallup came up with seven of her match-high 17 kills in the opening stanza as the Lions took game one 30-26. LMU held Portland to an attack percentage of .132, while posting a .219 percentage of its own. In game two, Portland jumped out to a 19-16 advantage as freshman Sara Vercruyssen tallied four kills. A pair of kills by Gallup and Tiana Newsome, along with three Kealani Kimball service aces put LMU back into the lead at 23-19. A Gallup kill sealed the 30-25 game victory. The Pilots held a 7-6 lead in game three as Heather Denison came up with one of her six kills, but the Lions came back with four straight points. LMU opened almost a ten point lead late in game three and sealed the win, 30-23.

For the Pilots, freshman Sara Vercruyssen tallied 11 kills for a .280 hitting percentage and eight digs. Lauren Karpstein totaled seven kills and hit for .286 in the match. Heather Denison added six kills, while Carlie Price notched 13 digs. Freshman setter Sheena Surplus posted 26 assists on the night. As a team Portland posted a .213 hitting percentage and 3.0 total team blocks.

LMU’s Kristen Gallup recorded 17 kills for a .361 hitting percentage. Kealani Kimball notched 11 kills for a .526 hitting percentage, while Tiana Newsome added 10 kills. Jacene Dimson led the team with 12 digs, while teammate Nicole Ridley posted 29 assists on the night. The Lions hit for .330 and added 4.0 total team blocks in the match.

“We gave up two leads in games one and two, said Head Coach Doug Sparks. “I thought we played ok, not great, but Sheena (Surplus) and Lauren (Karpstein) played well for us. It was a pretty good effort overall and we’ll put this one behind us and move on."

UP NEXT: On Sat., Oct. 5, Portland takes on Pepperdine in a WCC contest at 7:00 p.m. in Malibu, CA. The Pilots will face in-state rival Portland State on Tues., Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Stott Center in Portland, OR. Portland is back in action at home on Fri., Oct. 11 vs. the San Francisco Lady Dons at 7:00 p.m. On Sat., Oct. 12, Portland takes on the Santa Clara Broncos at 7:00 p.m. in Portland, OR. UP hits the road on Fri., Oct. 18, meeting San Diego at 7:00 p.m. in San Diego, CA. On Sat., Oct. 19, Portland travels to Moraga, CA, facing Saint Mary’s College at 7:00 p.m. The Pilots face Gonzaga on Sat., Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Spokane, WA. On Fri., Nov. 1, Portland is back at home matching-up with Pepperdine at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center. The Pilots take on Loyola Marymount on Sat., Nov. 2 in Portland, OR at 7:00 p.m. Portland hits the road on Fri., Nov. 8, facing Santa Clara at 7:00 p.m. in Santa, Clara, CA. On Sat., Nov. 9, the Pilots will match-up with San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. in San Francisco, CA. Portland will host Saint Mary’s College on Fri., Sept. 15 and San Diego on Sat., Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center in Portland, OR. The Pilots wrap-up WCC play at home on Sat., Nov. 23 with a single-match vs. Gonzaga at 7:00 p.m. On Tues., Nov. 26, Portland hosts in-state rival Oregon State at 5:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center.