Box Score Loyola volleyball wins first of two weekend road matches to earn its third conference win of the season
MACON, Ga. – For the third time in the last four matches, the Loyola Wolf Pack had to battle back after a first set loss to claim a match. On Friday, Loyola dropped the opening set to Middle Georgia State University only to win in four sets (20-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20).
Loyola is now 8-10 overall and 3-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
The Wolf Pack found themselves in an early hole in the first set, falling down 8-2 then 19-11. Loyola slowly clawed their way back, but Middle Georgia State, however, held on for the the 25-20 opening-game win.
In the second set, Loyola grabbed an early 7-6 lead and never relinquished it, rolling to a 25-17 win to even the match. With a 20-11 lead, the Knights made a slight comeback to cut it to four points, but the Wolf Pack held on for the win.
The third set featured a close contest between the two, as Loyola broke an early tie to jump up 14-10. Middle Georgia tied the game five times after that, but a late kill by Brittany Cooper helped give the Pack the 25-23 third-set win.
Loyola finished off the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set, as it led the game from start to finish. The Wolf Pack built a lead as large as 13-5, but the Knights didn't go down quietly.
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip through the state of Georgia with a conference showdown against Brewton-Parker at 1 p.m. CST Saturday.
"Our first conference road victory wasn't the prettiest at times, but the team still found a way to get it done. We struggled quite a bit offensively, but we improved our serving game since our last match. That really helped to keep Middle Georgia out of system, which allowed us to have more opportunities to put the ball away.
"Champagne Cunningham had a fantastic night. She just found every open hole and took care of the ball in dominant fashion. The setters did a great job of finding her right when we needed it most.
"We have quite a bit to improve on, but we're confident that we will find more consistency and continue to be successful within conference play."
Pack Facts
Champagne Cunningham's 18 kills were a career-high for the senior. In fact, the most Cunningham has ever recorded in a match were 11 (2018), and it was the second time this season she's reached double-digits.
Sunni Blanchard tallied 20-assists in the match, which matches her season-high. She's had 20 assists in two other matches this season.
Malea Howie moves closer to breaking into Loyola's Top 10 for career kills. She needs just nine more kills to reach that milestone after her seven on Friday.
With a 16-assist, 12-dig performance, Gracie Bailey recorded her fifth double-double of the season.
Casey Aucoin recorded a season-high nine kills in the win over Middle Georgia State.
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.
