SAN DIEGO — Freshman Nemo Beach totaled a match-high 15 kills on Thursday night against Loyola Marymount (15-5, 8-2 WCC) but San Diego volleyball could not overcome a late-match surge from the Lions, dealing the Toreros (11-9, 7-3 WCC) a tough 3-1 loss as West Coast Conference play continued at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

USD took the first set in thrilling fashion, catching fire late to win a 25-23 decision and take a 1-0 lead. LMU responded with wins in each of the next three frames, prevailing by scores of 25-15, 25-16, and 25-22 to secure the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set - San Diego 25-23

• Thursday night's first set started off close, with both teams trading points early on.
• A service ace from Madi Allen and back-to-back blocks from Leyla Blackwell and Isadora Tercariol and Blackwell and Kylie Pries were key to keeping things close as the frame unfolded.
• San Diego created a five-point, 15-10 advantage after back-to-back kills from Blackwell and Haylee Stoner, the latter of which sent the match to its first media timeout.
• LMU rallied to tie it after the Toreros took a timeout of their own, doing so via two USD errors and two service aces.
• Stivrins broke the deadlock with a clutch kill to make it 19-18, but more ties ensued at 19-19, 20-20, and 21-21.
• Pries crushed a well-placed kill of her own before the Lions responded again, this time to knot the set at 22-22.
• Stivrins helped San Diego recover from a late service error with a powerful kill, sending the frame to set point at 24-23 while prompting a Loyola Marymount timeout.
• Stoner recorded a service ace to finish it, securing her team a 25-23 win in the set as it surged ahead to take a 1-0 lead over the Lions in the match.

Second Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-15

• LMU jumped out to a 4-2 lead to begin Thursday night's second set before Pries and Beach went back-to-back with a pair of kills to tie it.
• The Lions went ahead by five at 11-6, but Stivrins stopped the rally with a well-timed kill to make it 11-7.
• LMU's lead stretched to six later in the set, taking the Toreros into the media timeout trailing 15-9.
• San Diego took a timeout of its own trailing 22-12, then dropped a 25-15 decision in the set as the Lions tied the match at 1-1.

Third Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-16

• San Diego struck first to begin the third set but Loyola Marymount responded with a 6-1 scoring run to take a 7-2 lead.
• The Toreros took their first timeout of the set trailing 10-6 after an LMU service ace.
• Loyola Marymount's lead stretched to nine on a USD error before service and ball handling errors from the Lions cut it to seven at 16-9.
• USD trailed by 10 at 20-10, but another service error from LMU got the Toreros back within single digits at 20-11.
• San Diego kept fighting back down the stretch but couldn't complete the comeback, dropping a 25-16 decision in the third as it fell behind 2-1 in the match.

Fourth Set - Loyola Marymount, 25-22

• Thursday night's fourth and final set began with back-and-forth play that saw LMU and USD tied at 3-3 early on after a lengthy rally that went the Toreros' way.
• Aided by two kills and a San Diego service error, the Lions established an 8-4 lead as the frame got underway.
• A 3-0 LMU scoring run a few points later prompted the Toreros to take their first timeout of the set while trailing 13-7.
• Beach and Stoner teamed up for a combo block down the stretch, keeping USD within striking distance at 17-12.
• Beach found her mark with a kill on the following point, cutting the deficit to four as the score moved to 18-14 and LMU took its first timeout.
• The Loyola Marymount lead dwindled to two at 19-17 when LMU committed both an attack error and a bad set, but a San Diego service error brought it back to three.
• Stivrins hammered a clutch kill to bring her team back within one before the Lions fought back and pushed their advantage to two to make it 21-19.
• Beach came up big late in the set with a well-placed kill, moving the score to 22-21, LMU.
• A USD error and a kill from the Lions kept the Toreros within one down the stretch but San Diego got no closer, falling 25-23 in the set to suffer a 3-1 defeat to Loyola Marymount in the match.

TORERO TIDBITS

• Beach's 16 kills on Thursday were two off her career high of 18, which she set against Georgia back in September
• Blackwell led USD with four block assists and recorded her team's lone solo block of the night.
• Olivia Bennett set a new career high with 17 digs, which was tied for the match high on Thursday.
• Tercariol totaled 38 assists, her most since October 5.
• Stoner, Tercariol, Allen, and Pries all had one service ace.
• Thursday night's match was televised nationally on ESPNU with Anne Marie Anderson and Nicole Branagh on the call.

UP NEXT
The Toreros will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Moraga, California to continue WCC play against Saint Mary's. First serve on Saturday afternoon at the UCU Pavilion is set for 1 p.m.