Box Score The Wolf Pack volleyball team played their first "home match" since Hurricane Ida Friday, defeating Faulkner at XULA's Convocation Center
NEW ORLEANS – Playing in their first match in New Orleans since Hurricane Ida, the Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team defeated the Faulkner Lady Eagles in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-19) Friday night at XULA's Convocation Center. The win moves the Wolf Pack to 9-6 overall and 4-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, joining Mobile, William Carey and Blue Mountain College atop the league standings.
Loyola is back in the Convocation Center Saturday for another SSAC tilt, hosting Mobile at 5 p.m.
The Wolf Pack tried to break away from Faulkner early in Set 1, taking a 7-4 lead after a 3-3 tie. Simone Tyson and Emily Sheperis each had a couple of kills during that stretch, but the Lady Eagles were able to tie the game at 8-8 after Loyola's quick run. Loyola kept trying to pull away from Faulkner throughout the set, but the visitors won a set-tying point twice before Loyola took the lead for good, 14-13. With Gracie Bailey serving, the Wolf Pack won four quick points to grab control of the opening game. Faulkner kept it close, though, but Alicia Simmons recorded a kill and Brittany Cooper ended the set with an ace.
Loyola took an early lead in the second set and never looked back, using attacks by Tyson and Sheperis, and an ace by Sheperis to jump up 5-2. Kailyn O'Neal added a service ace a few points later, then another Sheperis kill kept the Pack in the lead, 12-7. Tyson recorded back-to-back kills, and Bailey's service game, once again, sparked a quick Wolf Pack run to extend the advantage to 22-16. After the Lady Eagles cut the Loyola lead to 24-21, Tyson hammered one home to give Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was a little tougher for the Wolf Pack at first, as they needed a strong effort down the stretch to claim the match in three sets. The game featured eight ties then a couple of lead changes before Faulkner grabbed a 19-17 lead. Loyola, however, didn't lose a single point for the rest of the set, putting eight straight points on the board while O'Neal was serving. The rally started with a kill by Tyson, and two Faulkner errors preceded a Gabriela Martinez attack to give Loyola a 21-19 lead. Cooper and Martinez each added kills, then an ace by O'Neal and an attack from Presile Boswell ended the match.
"Tonight was an absolute full team effort. We had a very strong game plan prepared and the team did such a fantastic job of following it, as well as making small adjustments as necessary. We served incredibly tough and attacked the ball so well. Kailyn and Gracie spread the ball well to all of our hitters and Emily, Gabriela, Preslie, and Simone Tyson found a ton of success. Simone Moreau helped us stay alive in the back court with some great defensive plays, too. We are very proud of the work our team did tonight and look forward to getting back on the court tomorrow against Mobile."
Pack Facts
Friday's straight-sets win over Faulkner marked the third straight match Loyola has swept an opponent, and that hasn't happened for the program since the 2017 season.
Simone Tyson tied a career-high with 18 kills Friday. It's the seventh time this season she's in double figures, too.
Tyson also recorded 12 digs to give the sophomore her fifth double-double of the season and the second in as many games.
Emily Sheperis earned a new season-high in kills Friday as well, notching 12 in the contest. Her previous season-high was 11, which she's accomplished twice this season, while her career-high from last season is 18. It's also the sixth double-digit kill match for the sophomore.
Gracie Bailey led the Wolf Pack with 21 assists, and that's her fifth match this season with at least 20 assists.
Kailyn O'Neal was close behind with 20 assists, which was her sixth 20-assist match of the season.
Gabriela Martinez had a .500 hit percentage against Faulkner, totaling four kills on eight attempts.
Loyola's 51 kills Friday night was the most this season in a three-set match, and it was the fourth-most kills recorded in any match this season.
Freshman libero Simone Moreau led the Wolf Pack with 17 digs, and that's the fifth time this season she's reached that number in a match.
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
