Box Score The Wolf Pack earned their eighth conference win of the season with Friday's win
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team improved to .500 for the first time since Oct. 5 with a straight-set (25-19, 25-23, 25-20) victory over Middle Georgia State Friday evening in The Den.
With the sweep, the Wolf Pack now owns a 17-17 overall record and 8-4 in Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) play. Middle Georgia falls to 4-14 and 1-11 in the SSAC.
Despite their overall record, the Knights put up a fight against the Pack, who remain undefeated against SSAC South Division opponents. Middle Georgia took a late lead at 17-16 after 10 ties in the close opening game, but Loyola put together a 9-2 run to take a 1-0 lead.
After a back-and-forth start to the second frame, a 5-0 Knights run sparked the first Loyola timeout, after which the home team chipped away at the deficit, eventually going on a 6-0 run of their own to go up 20-18. The teams traded points until the end of the period, with Loyola holding on to the two-point set lead to go up 2-0 heading into the final frame.
Two service aces from Gracie Bailey started off the third set, sparking an early 3-0 Wolf Pack advantage. Loyola held a 15-11 lead midway through the set after the home team strung together four-straight points on Cameron Clement's serve, but Middle Georgia responded with a 9-0 run to take a 20-15 lead. Unfazed by the visitors' run, the Pack would not let up another point, scoring 10 straight to clinch the match 3-0.
Loyola closes out the regular season tomorrow with Senior Day when the team faces Brewton-Parker College in The Den at 2 p.m.
"We're proud of the team for getting it done tonight. We were down in a few of the sets and were able to stay focused and make some good comebacks. The distribution to our attackers has been pretty even recently, which is something that we've been working on. That showed again tonight, with our setters being able to find all of our hitters throughout the match.
"Brittany Cooper and Champagne Cunningham did well offensively, and Helene continues to play great defense. Sunni Blanchard hit a career milestone tonight with her 15 assists, reaching 2,000. We're very proud of what she's done for this program.
"Tomorrow will be a special day for our seniors, and it's always full of emotion. We're excited to celebrate them and finish off one of the most successful regular seasons that we've had in recent years."
Pack Facts
Sunni Blanchard recorded 15 assists Friday, and she now has 2,000 career assists. She's still at No. 7 in the record books, but the sixth spot is 41 assists away.
Blanchard also played in her 145th career match, and she's now fifth in that category.
Malea Howie played her 148th career match in a Loyola uniform, which moves her into a tie for first in the record books.
Brittany Cooper led the Wolf Pack with 12 kills, and that's six straight matches with double-digit kills. That's also 21 matches now with more than 10 kills for Cooper.
Libero Helene Mason had a team-high 16 digs, and she's now at 1,335 digs for her career. That puts Mason at eighth in the Loyola record books.
Gracie Bailey had three service aces against Middle Georgia State, and that gives her 52 this season. She now ranks 24th in the country in that category.
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.
