Box Score The Wolf Pack improved to 7-4 in conference play, while sweeping both matches against Mobile this season.
MOBILE, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack traveled to the University of Mobile Tuesday night for their last Southern States Athletics Conference road match of the season, and they returned to New Orleans with the second win of the season over the Rams.
Loyola's four-set win (25-22, 19-25, 25-13, 25-23) marks a season-sweep of Mobile, which is the first time the program has accomplished that since 2011.
The Wolf Pack began the match with a hard-fought 25-22 win in the first set. They trailed by a point or two for the first half of the set, then grabbed a 19-18 lead and never let up. Loyola jumped up 22-18 before a Brittany Cooper kill finished off the opening game.
The Rams evened the match by scoring five of the last seven points in the second set to win 25-19.
Loyola, however, bounced back with a dominant third-set win, taking the 2-1 match lead after a 25-13 win. It quickly built a 7-3 advantage before pushing it to 18-10, and six different Loyola hitters recorded kills in the set, too.
The match was clinched in a close fourth set, as Loyola took the game 25-23. The Wolf Pack led by as many as four late in the set, but Mobile tied the game 23-23. A Mobile error and a Malea Howie kill ended the match, though.
Loyola is set to play its final two matches away from The Den of the season this weekend, as the Wolf Pack will take on two NCAA Division III opponents. First, they'll play Millsaps College at 1 p.m., then they'll take on LeTourneau University at 3 p.m. The two matches will be played at Millsaps' Hanger Dome on campus.
"The team has really stepped up and continued to play the strong game that we saw this past weekend in Florida. Our strong serving was key in the third set. We served aggressively and kept them out of system, which resulted in earning points off of their errors.
"Sunni Blanchard and Gracie Bailey really took charge when they were on the court, directing our offense and even scoring some on their own by taking the ball over on the second contact. Malea Howie had a phenomenal night. She found her groove and continued to make shots that she knew she would score on. Helene Masone had some incredible digs, and overall the entire team just left it all out on the floor defensively.
"This is the first season sweep of Mobile since 2011 and we are so proud of how the team played tonight. They have really taken accountability and responsibility for defining this season as a successful one and leaving a strong legacy for future teams to follow."
Pack Facts
Tuesday's four-set win over Mobile completes Loyola's first season sweep of the Rams since 2011.
With two conference matches left on the schedule, Loyola already has seven SSAC wins. That's the most it's had in a season it had eight in 2016.
Sunni Blanchard played in her 141st career match Tuesday, which moves her tied for sixth in the Loyola record books.
Blanchard and Gracie Bailey each recorded doubles-doubles in the match. Blanchard had 19 assists and 13 digs, while Bailey had 13 assists and 14 digs. It was both players eighth time this season they've recorded double-doubles, and they've each accomplished that in the same match five times this season. It's also Bailey's third straight match with a double-double, while it's Blanchard's second straight.
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