Box Score Loyola's four-set win Tuesday is the first win over the Rams since 2012
NEW ORLEANS – For the second straight match, the Loyola Wolf Pack dropped the opening set only to win the next three to earn a win. After a four-set win over Florida College on Saturday, the Wolf Pack took down the University of Mobile 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20) Tuesday.
The win moves Loyola to 2-0 in Southern States Athletic Conference and 7-9 overall.
Although the opening set saw a few ties, Mobile never relinquished the lead on its way to a 25-18 win to take the 1-0 match lead. The Rams held a multi-point lead throughout most of the set, but the Wolf Pack did use four straight points to tie the game at 16-16. Mobile, however, followed Loyola's 4-0 run with seven straight to run away with the set.
Loyola responded by winning the second set 25-20 to even the match 1-1. Besides a couple of ties at the beginning of the set, the Wolf Pack led from start to finish. They never built a huge lead, but Loyola did keep a three-point or more lead for most of the game.
The momentum carried into the third set, too. Loyola started the game with a 5-0 run, then it never let Mobile get within two points the rest of the game. The Wolf Pack built a lead as big as eight points at three different points of the game, as they cruised to take the 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set featured tight, back-and-forth play that had 10 ties before the Wolf Pack took the lead for good. Once Loyola grabbed the 14-13 advantage, it kept enough distance from the Rams to clinch the match comfortably, 25-20.
Loyola takes an eight-day break until it hits the court again. The Wolf Pack is back in action next Wednesday, as they host William Carey for their third straight home conference match. First serve is set for 6 p.m. in The Den.
"I am so unbelievably proud of our group tonight. In the first set, they seemed to just be overthinking our game plan a little bit too much. After settling in and refocusing, they got really comfortable and just rolled with it.
"This is such a fearless and gritty group. They're fighting every second for each other and it's really fun to watch. Brittany Cooper, Gaby Martinez and Champagne Cunningham had an incredible night offensively and just put balls away for us. Gracie Bailey and Sunni Rae Blanchard ran the offense well and got sets to our hot hitters in the right moments, and Helene had another fantastic night.
"We have not beaten Mobile in seven years, which makes tonight even more exciting. I could not be more proud."
Pack Facts
Tuesday was the first Loyola win over Mobile since Oct. 23, 2012. The Wolf Pack dropped the previous 12 matchups with the Rams.
Senior Malea Howie entered Tuesday's match needing 17 kills to reach 1,000 career kills. After collecting 11 against Mobile, she's six kills from reaching the milestone, as well as 25 away from entering the Top 10 in Loyola history for career kills.
Brittany Cooper totaled 15 kills and 12 digs Tuesday, which was her fourth straight game with a double-double. The freshman now has seven double-doubles this season.
Loyola libero Helene Masone recorded 17 digs in the match, which was her second-best performance of the season.
Gracie Bailey's 21 assists was her second-best outing of the season, too. Her 23-assist night Saturday against Florida College is her season-high.
