Box Score Wolf Pack hits the road for three matches this weekend
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack dropped a non-conference game to NCAA Division II Spring Hill Tuesday night, falling in straight sets (25-21, 25-14, 25-14) in the last home game until Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Loyola's overall record now sits at 11-12 with three matches set for this weekend.
Loyola and Spring Hill battled evenly to start the match, as Loyola jumped out to an early 5-2 lead. The two would go on to share the same score five times and trade the lead three times until the Badgers took the lead for good. A 5-0 run gave Spring Hill enough cushion to win the set 25-21.
In the second set, Loyola and Spring Hill exchanged a couple of early points before the Badgers extended the score to 9-5. A quick Wolf Pack run made it a one-point game, but the visitors scored 10 of the next 12 points to grab control of the set and win 25-14.
The Badgers used a hot start to Set 3 to finish off the sweep, winning the final game 25-14.
Sitting at 5-2 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, Loyola will play two conference opponents this weekend, as well as non-conference Talladega College. First, the Pack will travel to Martin Methodist Friday at 6 p.m., then they'll take on Faulkner University and Talladega Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Montgomery, Alabama.
"Spring Hill is always a tough team. This match gave us a good opportunity to identify some areas of growth for this weekend, as we get back into conference play. Helene Masone had a good night on defense and Sunni Blanchard worked really hard running the offense. Gabriela Martinez has been strong on offense for us and had another good night."
Pack Facts
Champagne Cunningham's eight kills were the most recorded in a match since her career-setting night of 18 kills on Friday, Sept. 29. It's also the 11th straight match she's had five or more kills.
Sunni Blanchard recorded 23 of the team's 25 assists Tuesday night, and it was a season-high for the senior. Her career-high came her during her sophomore season when she totaled 28 assists against Faulkner.
Malea Howie added multiple service aces for the third time this season, tallying three against Spring Hill. She now has 96 aces in her career.
