Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Pack won their first match of the season in a five-set comeback thriller against Cumberland before falling to host Xavier.
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team went 1-3 at the Early Bird Invitational after picking up a win and a loss on Saturday at Xavier University's Convocation Center.
The Wolf Pack were looking for their first win of the season in the first match of the day, but Cumberland was dominant to start the match, winning the first two sets while only allowing 27 points total. But Loyola was resilient, despite trailing 8-0 to start the third frame. The Pack would rally back to take a 12-11 lead. The score would remain close in the third period, with the Phoenix tying the score at 24-24, but an error, followed by a service ace from Brittany Cooper, would lead to the set victory for Loyola.
The fourth set was also tight, with the largest lead for either side being Loyola's five-point advantage at 23-18. The Pack would go on to take the fourth 25-23, forcing a deciding set. The Wolf Pack held the lead for the majority of the fifth frame, claiming five of the final six points to take the set 15-10 and earn their first match victory, 3-2.
In the second match of the day, host Xavier held control for most of the match, winning by a score of 25-18, 25-19, 25-12.
Loyola will travel to Bowling Green, Ky. next week for four weekend matches at the Mid-South Conference Crossover Challenge. The action starts when the Pack take on Campbellsville at noon on Friday, August 23.
"What an exciting way to earn our first win of the season! We really wanted to focus on a few key offensive strategies during the Cumberland match and once we were able to get our middle hitters more involved in the 3rd set, we just rolled with it. Gracie Bailey earned her first double-double helping run the offense and keeping us alive with digs. Champagne Cunningham was also key in scoring points for us in the last three sets."
"Our match against Xavier was tough and we just didn't turn the switch fast enough. If just a few more plays go our way, we stay in it with them. We'll be looking forward to a rematch when they come to us late in the season. We have a lot of work to do in order to be more effective offensively, but we are seeing great things from this group. We will take this week to prepare for another challenging tournament next weekend in Kentucky."
Pack Facts
The 3-2 victory over Cumberland was the first five-set win for Loyola since October 9 last year against Mississippi College.
Gracie Bailey recorded 16 assists and 12 digs against the Phoenix, the freshman's first double-double.
Champagne Cunningham had a team-leading 10 kills on a .261 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks against Cumberland.
Jordan Bernard led the Pack in kills on the day with 16, eight in each match.
The team leader in assists for the tournament with 50, Sunni Blanchard had double-digit assists in both matches Saturday, 17 against Cumberland and 10 against Xavier.
In the deciding set against Cumberland, the Pack had a hitting percentage at 0.300 while holding the Phoenix to -0.050.
With 11 digs against the Phoenix and 13 against Xavier, Helene Masone was the only Loyola player to reach double figures in digs in both games. She also served four aces between the two games.
