The Loyola University New Orleans Volleyball team returned to Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center on Saturday for day two of the Hyatt Place Labor Day Volleyfest hosted by Keiser University. The Wolf Pack earned a split on the day, defeating Calumet College of St. Joseph (IN) 3-0 (25-15,25-16,25-22), before falling to host Keiser University 0-3 (16-25,19-25,23-25).
Loyola went 2-2 at the event to bring its overall record to 3-5.
"I am pleased with the way the team performed overall," said Loyola Head Coach Angela Franke. "We we're able to get some valuable experience as a team and this tournament gave different players the opportunity to contribute which I feel like will help with their overall growth."
Match One: Loyola 3 Calumet College of St. Joseph 0
The Wolf Pack jumped out early in the first set against the Crimson Wave, building a 7-0 lead to start the set. Loyola followed up with a 7-4 run to stretch the advantage to 14-4. The Wolf Pack kept Calumet College of St. Joseph at bay for the remainder of the set, not allowing the Crimson Wave to get any closer than seven points, to put the first win on the board 25-15.
Set two saw Loyola down 0-3 to start but the Wolf Pack battled back to take the lead at 9-7. With the score at 13-10, Loyola strung together a 6-2 run to extend its advantage to 19-12. The Wolf Pack kept the momentum rolling, ending the set on a 6-4 run to earn the 25-16 victory to go up 2-0.
With a 22-14 lead late in the third set, Loyola looked like it was going to cruise to another victory. The Crimson Wave would not go down without a fight however, stringing together an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to just two at 24-22. The Wolf Pack maintained their composure and managed to score the final point of the set en route to a 25-22 win and a 3-0 victory in the match.
Sr. OH Eva Allen (Oakland, Calif./Head-Royce) and Fr. MB Jordan Davis (Litchfield Park, Ariz./Millennium) both had seven kills for Loyola, while Fr. S Maddie Huekels (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic) led the way with 16 assists, 10 digs and four service aces.
Match Two: Keiser University 3 Loyola 0
The second match saw two both teams exchanging points early and the score read 6-6 in the early part of the first set. Thanks to two runs midway through the set, the Lady Seahawks took a five-point lead 22-16. The home team closed out the set on a 3-0 run to claim the 25-16 victory and the 1-0 lead.
The Wolf Pack were down for most of second set, before a 6-0 run knotted the score at 19-19. Keiser flipped the switch and scored the next six points to take the 25-19 win in set number two.
The third set featured some late fireworks as the score was tied five times heading down the stretch. The score was tied at 18-18, 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21 before two Keiser points gave the Lady Seahawks the slim 23-21 advantage. The Wolf Pack continued to hang around and pushed Keiser to the brink before the home team scored two-straight to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Allen recorded a match-high 11 kills and Huekels handed out a team-high 20 assists. Davis added six kills and Fr. DS/OH Breanna Stevenson(Desoto, Texas/Desoto) scooped up eight digs.
After recording 25 kills, five digs and six blocks over the four-game stretch, Davis was named to the Hyatt Place Labor Day Volleyfest All-Tournament Team.
Loyola returns to The Den for its home-opener on Wednesday, September 9, welcoming Alcorn State and Southern University New Orleans to campus for two matches. The Wolf Pack will face the Braves at 3:00 p.m. before taking on the Knights at 7:00 p.m.
