Box Score Loyola's straight-sets win was the second sweep in conference play of the season
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack rebounded from Friday's loss with a dominating win over Blue Mountain College Saturday. Loyola used strong finishes in each set to sweep (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) the Lady Toppers and improve to 5-2 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
With the win, Loyola now has six points in the SSAC standings, which puts it in second place behind Mobile's seven points. Martin Methodist also has six points. The Wolf Pack is also back to .500 overall, moving their record to 11-11 after Saturday.
After Blue Mountain College won the match's first point, it was all Loyola in the opening set. The Lady Toppers stayed close in the beginning, but the Wolf Pack pulled away to take the first set 25-16. The Pack jumped out 6-2 early, but Blue Mountain cut the lead to one point three times before Loyola used a 6-0 run to pull away.
Sophomore Gabriela Martinez had five of the team's 14 kills in the set, too.
The second set featured more back-and-forth play, as the two teams traded the lead seven times before Loyola grabbed the 15-14 lead. The Wolf Pack would hold on for the rest of the set, taking a 2-0 match lead with a 25-19 second-set win. Trailing 14-13, the Pack used a 7-0 run to grab control of the game.
Loyola and Blue Mountain College played another tight game in the third with 10 ties and five lead changes. When Loyola grabbed the 17-16 advantage, it never relinquished it, winning the final game 25-22 to sweep the match.
Loyola will conclude its homestand with a non-conference matchup with Spring Hill on Wednesday. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in The Den.
"Great work from our team today in grabbing this win. It gives us two points and helps us in the conference standings. Every match is important and the girls did a great job of turning around from last night's loss and playing a more balanced game today.
"Gabriela Martinez had an incredible afternoon on offense. Malea Howie and Champagne Cunningham joined her in being a threat at the net. Gracie Bailey did a great job of running the offense and finding hot hitters at the right times.
"We had a great crowd this weekend and so thankful for the support. We're looking forward to one more match here in the Den before we get back to more road games."
Pack Facts
Gabriela Martinez recorded a season-high 10 kills in Saturday's match. She was one kill away from tying her career-high, which came against William Carey on Nov. 8, 2018.
Champagne Cunningham turned in another solid performance with seven kills, and she's now had five or more kills in 10 consecutive matches.
Gracie Bailey's 22 assists were the second-most of her young collegiate career, as the freshman tallied 23 assists against Florida College in September.
Bailey also served at least two aces for the fifth consecutive match to bring her season total to 35, which ranks 23rd in the NAIA.
For the second straight night, Malea Howie led the Wolf Pack in kills and hit double-digits. It's the third time this season she's had back-to-back double-digit games, and it's the eighth time this season she's been in double figures.
Saturday's match was the 136th played in Howie's career with the Pack, which moves her up to 10th in the Loyola record books in match appearances.
The Wolf Pack earned their fifth conference win Saturday, and that matches last year's conference win total and it's one more SSAC win than the Pack had all of the 2017 season. The 5-2 start to SSAC play is the best start since Loyola's first year in conference (2010).
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
