Box Score The Wolf Pack begins the season with consecutive sweeps of crosstown rival opponents
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team improved to 2-0 on the young season after a straight-sets win (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) over the Dillard Bleu Devils Saturday night in The Den.
Dillard started Set 1 with two quick points to help grab a 3-1 lead, but two kills by Brittany Cooper tied the game 3-3. Dillard, again, pushed ahead, this time 10-6, but kills by Jules Mokry and Emily Sheperis gave the Pack the lead for good. Casey Aucoin and Kailyn O'Neal each had service aces in the set, and Jordan Bernard and Mokry recorded back-to-back kills to finish off the first set 25-16. With the game tied 11-11, the Wolf Pack scored the final 14 of 19 points to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Mokry and Sheperis were at it again in the second set, each recording kills to help take an early 4-1. Cooper added two more kills, and Gabriela Martinez and Aucoin each had one to jump up 10-4. Dillard was able to cut the lead to 18-16, but it never could get within a point, as Bernard, once again, closed the set out. She tallied two kills to help finish off Game 2, 25-19.
The Wolf Pack got another quick start in the third set, using two service aces by Gracie Bailey to take a 9-3 lead. Loyola got kills from five different players the rest of the way, as Mokry, Bailey, Sheperis, Cooper and Camryn Costanza all contributed attacking.
Loyola will travel to Xavier for two matches Saturday, Oct. 17. First, the Wolf Pack will play Xavier at noon, then they'll match up with William Carey at 2 p.m. in a match that won't count towards the two teams' conference records.
"It's always great to start the year off 2-0 and to do that in straight sets is even better. We are absolutely elated with how this team is playing right now. The trust, grit, and resiliency that they are showcasing is top-notch. We are still starting matches off a little slow, but once we get going, there's no looking back for this group. They are having fun and playing for each other, and those will be keys to our continued success."
Pack Facts
This is the first time that Loyola has started a season 2-0 since the 2012 campaign, where the Pack jumped out to an 8-0 start.
As a team, the Wolf Pack served nine aces. Loyola logged nine or more service aces in only seven matches in 2019.
The freshman attackers Emily Sheperis and Jules Mokry combined for 16 total kills on the night, Sheperis with nine and Mokry with seven. Sheperis also had a hitting percentage of .412, the best on the team.
Kailyn O'Neal notched her second-straight double-double to start the season, recording 18 assists and 10 digs.
Brittany Cooper fell one kill short of a double-double for the second-straight match. She registered nine kills, 13 digs, and three blocks with a .375 hitting percentage.
Helene Masone matched Cooper with 13 digs. It's her 17th-straight match hitting double figures in digs.
Casey Aucoin led the Pack in two categories after having four service aces and six blocks.
With Saturday's win over the Bleu Devils, the Wolf Pack have now won seven straight matchups with their crosstown rivals.
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.
