September 14, 1998

The Wildcats knew what they were up against in their opening game of the Furama Classic. Ranked No. 17 in the current AVCA/USA Today Coaches poll, Loyola-Marymount strutted their stuff, but ran into a determined team from Villanova. Staring the Lions right into the eyes, the Cats put up quite a fight, but in the end, Goliath reigned as LMU defeated Nova in three sets (51-3, 15-11, 15-6).

In the opening game, the Wildcats couldn't seem to get it going as LMU tallied six service aces as the Lions passed Villanova 15-3. Freshman outside hitter Sarah McFarland was a force in the middle with her 4 kills and 3 service aces. For the Wildcats, Megan O'Brien had 4 kills, while Liz Jones recorded 3 digs.

Determined to gain back some respect, the Wildcats got a jump on LMU 5-3 in the second game. Villanova attacked the Lions with a four straight points as the battle continued back and forth until the game was deadlocked at 11. LMU's Candace Boller stole the show as she recorded 3 of the last four points as the Lions held off the Wildcats 15-11. In the final game of the match, Loyola-Marymount poured on the pressure and showed why they have been in nationally ranked for 51 straight weeks. The Lions scored 12 unanswered points and overpowered the Wildcats to finish the match in straight sets. For the match, senior Megan O'Brien tallied 11 kills and Elizabeth Jones had 11 digs in the losing effort.