Box Score The Wolf Pack returns to the court tomorrow with a match on the road against Faulkner University at 2:00 p.m.
Looking to snap a two-match losing streak, the Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team headed to the H. Austill Pharr Gymnasium on Friday night to kick off Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) play with a match versus the (RV) Rams of the University of Mobile.
Coming into the match at with 5-5 overall record, the Wolf Pack headed to Alabama having lost its last eight-straight matches against Mobile dating back to 2012. Entering Friday's matchup at 14-3, head coach Jon Campbell and the Rams had the most wins of any team in the SSAC and were the only team in the league to receive votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.
Friday's affair proved to be all Mobile as the Rams were able to hold Loyola to a - 0.011 hitting percentage en route to the 3-0 (18-25,13-25,11-25) sweep at home.
Both teams traded blows to start the opening set and the score halted at 5-5 before a 6-0 Rams run gave the home team the 11-5 advantage in the opening set. Mobile was able to hold the advantage for the remainder of the frame and closed out the opening frame on a 4-0 spurt to grab the 25-18 victory to begin the match.
The Wolf Pack raced out to the 4-2 advantage to start set two thanks to a set error by Annie Kate and two kills by Malea Howie (SO/Greenwood, Ind.). With Loyola leading 5-4, Mobile orchestrated a 7-1 run to retake the lead at 11-6. It would be all Rams in the waning moments of the set as the home team closed out the second frame outscoring the Wolf Pack 14-7 to secure the 25-13 win.
Howie led off the third set with a kill before an attack error by Hannah Wentland put Loyola up 2-0 early. With the score tied at 5-5, Mobile constructed a 13-3 spurt to take control of the match at 18-8. The home team would close out the set by scoring the final three points to seal the sweep with a 25-11 victory in the third set.
Howie led Loyola with six kills with Maddie Huekels (JR/Dyer, Ind.) paced the Wolf Pack offense with 12 assists. Defensively, Helene Masone (FR/Destin, Fla.) tallied 13 digs in the loss while Tylar Beckham (SO/New Orleans, La.) led the team with five blocks on Friday evening.
For the Rams, Hannah Wentland led all players with 14 kills and Annie Kate Hudson notched a match-high 30 helpers in the victory.
The Wolf Pack heads to Faulkner tomorrow to continue SSAC action for a match against the Eagles at 2:00 p.m.
