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Box Score 2 Loyola finished pool play 1-2, as its season comes to an end with a 19-19 overall record
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack needed two wins Friday at the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament to advance to Saturday's semifinals, but they began the day with a straight-sets loss to William Carey before sweeping Blue Mountain.
Loyola's season is complete after going 1-2 in Pool A play Thursday and Friday, and it's 19-19 record is the first time the program finished at least .500 since the 28-9 2012 season. It's also the most wins since that season.
Loyola 3, Blue Mountain 1
The Wolf Pack came out firing in the opening game, easily taking the 1-0 match lead with a 25-14 first-set win. Loyola jumped up 8-0, then pushed ahead to 18-4. Malea Howie led the Pack with four kills in the set, as they cruised to the win.
Blue Mountain tied the match in the second, winning 25-22, but Loyola made up for it in the third with the most lopsided set win of the season. The Wolf Pack regained the match lead with a 25-7 win, using a 10-0 run to take a 15-4 lead. Loyola would close out the set by winning the final 10 of 13 points.
The fourth set was a little closer than the third, as neither team could go up by more than two points early in the game. The set featured 12 ties but only had three lead changes. Loyola took a 20-19 advantage and finished the match on a 7-0 run.
William Carey 3, Loyola 0
William Carey opened the match with a 25-21 win in Set 1, but it had to battle back after a hot start by the Wolf Pack. Helene Masone served nine straight points to push the Pack's lead to 10-2 early, but the Crusaders tied the set at 13-13 before taking the lead for good. Leading 24-18, Loyola scored three straight points to get within striking distance, but William Carey found the set-winner.
William Carey took a 2-0 match lead after a nail-biting 25-23 second-set win. Loyola fought off three early-set ties before the Crusaders took a 13-12 lead, their first lead of the set since it was 3-2. The Wolf Pack tied the game at 15-15, but William Carey pushed back ahead for good.
William Carey finished the match by winning another close set, taking the third 25-22.
"I am so proud of this group. One thing about them throughout this season was that no matter how tough the road, they kept battling. Sometimes those fell our way and sometimes they didn't. This morning, it, unfortunately, did not fall our way. William Carey is an incredibly talented team and we just couldn't finish out those sets. Brittany Cooper, Isabella Clayton, and Casey Aucoin were so strong for us offensively. Helene Masone continued her stellar defensive work. She really turned it on this week.
With our second match of the day against Blue Mountain, we really just focused on getting a win for our four seniors. The seniors all had a phenomenal match. Malea Howie and Champagne Cunningham really hit the ball well, Sunni Blanchard did well with spreading the ball to our hitters, and Cameron Clement made some great defensive plays for us.
With the close of our season, I can only say good things about this group. They've accomplished so much, broken school records, and beaten teams that haven't been beaten by a Loyola team in years. It truly has been a historic season. We'll continue to look back on this year and appreciate what the seniors did to help us grow, and what this group has done as a whole to improve this program. The future is bright!"
Pack Facts
Loyola volleyball hasn't won 19 games in a season since it won 28 games in 2012, and that was also the last time a Wolf Pack team finished with at least a .500 record.
Loyola's 25-7 third-set win over Blue Mountain was the most lopsided set win of the season for the Wolf Pack.
Recording a double-double in every match of the tournament, Sunni Blanchard has logged 12 double-doubles in the 2019 season, tying her for second on the team. She led Loyola with 23 assists against Blue Mountain.
Cameron Clement had 10 digs in the match against Blue Mountain, and it was the third time this season she's hit double figures.
Champagne Cunningham's 11 kills led the team against Blue Mountain. She also registered six digs, a career-high.
Blanchard and Howie moved up in the record books, as their playing days at Loyola comes to an end:
Howie finished her career first in Loyola history in matches played (151), eighth in career kills (1,205) and fifth in total attacks in her career (3,847).
Blanchard is second in career matches played (149) and sixth in career assists (2,074).
