Box Score The Wolf Pack plays their second conference match in two days Saturday in The Den
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack hung tough with the Bethel Lady Wildcats in all three sets, but the visitors from Tennessee earned a straight-sets win (25-23, 25-19, 25-22) over the Pack Friday.
Loyola is now 4-2 in Southern States Athletic Conference play and 10-11 overall.
Bethel started strong in the first set, but the Wolf Pack kept it close. Trailing 10-4 at one point in the opening game, Loyola clawed its way back to tie the game at 18-all. The two would trade points for the remaining of the set, as the Lady Wildcats took the game 25-23 to grab a 1-0 match lead.
The Lady Wildcats, again, jumped out to an early lead, but the Wolf Pack hung around. Leading 6-3, Bethel kept a multi-point lead on the Pack until they made it a 17-16 later in the set. Bethel would push ahead, though, and win the second set 25-19 to take a 2-0 match lead.
The Lady Wildcats finished off the match with a 25-22 third-set win. A 10-2 early lead was good enough cushion to hold the lead for the entire set, but Loyola did get back in the game. The Pack cut the lead to 10-7 with five straight points, then 19-16. They couldn't, however, overcome the strong start by Bethel.
The Wolf Pack is back on the court Saturday for another conference match. They'll host Blue Mountain College at 2 p.m. in The Den.
"We saw some good things tonight. We focused a lot on defense, and we were able to stop or slow down some of their main attackers. We had some of our best blocking numbers that we've seen in a few matches.
"Champagne Cunningham had another great night attacking. We'd like to see more kills from her overall, but she's being efficient and keeping her errors low. More often than not, she's scoring points when it really counts for us.
"We're looking forward to starting fresh tomorrow with Blue Mountain."
Pack Facts
Champagne Cunningham continued her streak of solid outings with another one Friday night. She recorded six kills in the match, and that marks the ninth straight match she's had five or more kills.
Malea Howie's 11 kills were a team-high, and it was the seventh time this season she's reached double-digits in kills.
Gracie Bailey had a team-high two service aces, which brings her season total to 33. Bailey and Brittany Cooper both have 33 this season, and Friday was the fourth straight game Bailey had double-digit service aces, too.
As a team, Loyola recorded eight total blocks against Bethel, which is a season-high for the Pack.
Once again, Sunni Blanchard and Bailey both reached double-figures in assists. Bailey recorded a team-high 14 assists, while Blanchard added 13. It marks the 17th time that both setters have reached double digits.
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