SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Vanguard beach volleyball lost a pair of matches on Friday to No. 2 Loyola Marymount and Mercer, ending its six-match win streak.

Both opponents swept the Lions as they tangled with a pair of 10-win teams.

The Lions lost in straight sets at all positions except pair No. 2 in the Mercer match, as Paige Cutwright and Madison Arnold took their counterparts to three sets.

No. 2 Loyola Marymount 5, Vanguard 0

The Lions battled one of the nation's top teams to start the day, and Loyola Marymount proved to be every bit the part of a powerhouse.

Liv Johnson and Brooke Bowers defeated Cassie Smits Van Oyen and Gianna Pecile by a 21-17, 21-17 score at the fours to put LMU up 1-0.

LMU clinched the match with identical 21-11, 21-10 victories at the twos and ones.

The No. 5 pair of Jaeya Brach and Gi Poletti Corrales notched a 21-15, 21-11 win over Logan Daniels and Natalie Hill, while the threes tandem of Isabelle Reffel and Magdalena Rabitsch knocked off VU's Katie Alexander and Anne Mayfield, 21-16, 21-12.

Mercer 5, Vanguard 0

Vanguard tangled with the Bears in the afternoon match and flirted with victory at a few of the spots on the ladder.

Smits Van Oyen and Pecile lost 21-16, 21-18 at the fours to Nicole O'Mara and Kathryn Corbett. The Lions took the first set at the twos as Cutwright and Arnold won 24-22, but Mercer's Kate Hardie and Sydney Benson rallied for the 21-17 and 15-7 victories in sets two and three.

With the 2-0 lead, the Bears clinched the match at the fives as Grace Rathburn and Caiden Johnston beat Daniels and Hill 21-12, 21-14.

Alexander and Mayfield took Liv Diaz and Jordan Paddock down to the wire in set two, but the Lion No. 3 partnership fell 21-14, 21-19.

At the No. 1 position, Thea Snider and Emma Galloway lost 21-15, 21-15 to Hollis Engel and Lexi Polychrones.

What's Next?: The Lions return to action on Saturday at Long Beach City College, where they will face Southern Miss at noon and Long Beach State at 2:00 p.m.