Box Score The Wolf Pack volleyball team took down Faulkner on the road Friday night to move its conference record to 7-1
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team started its two-match road trip through the state of Alabama with a contest against Faulkner Friday, defeating the Lady Eagles in five sets (17-25, 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 15-7). The win makes the Wolf Pack 13-7 overall this season and it helps them keep pace with Blue Mountain College atop the Southern States Athletic Conference standings with a 7-1 league record.
The Wolf Pack will travel to Mobile next for a 1 p.m. match Saturday against the Rams.
It was a slow start for the Wolf Pack in the first set, dropping the opening game 25-16. Trailing 12-6, attacks by Simone Tyson and Gabriela Martinez cut the score to 14-8, but the Lady Eagles pushed the lead back out to 17-10. Loyola was able to score four straight points, though, using two kills by Tyson and a service ace by Emily Sheperis, but Faulkner was able to push ahead again to clinch the game.
The Wolf Pack fought off a late Lady Eagles push to rebound with a close 25-20 second-set win to tie the match. Jordan Bernard began the set with consecutive kills and Brittany Cooper registered an ace to keep Loyola within a point of Faulkner, 6-5. The two teams went back and forth for a couple of points before Loyola pulled in front, 13-12, after another Bernard attack. The Wolf Pack held a lead until Faulkner tied it, 20-20, then Loyola won the final five points to claim the set. Martinez and Bernard had kills during that set-ending 5-0 run and Faulkner committed three errors to help Loyola's cause.
The third was close for the first half of the game, but Loyola dominated the last 11 points to take a 2-1 lead in the match. There were nine ties until the Wolf Pack finally took the lead for good, 14-13, as five different Wolf Pack players recorded a kill during the early portion of the set. After Faulkner cut the Pack's lead to 16-15 and looking for the 10th tie of the game, Gracie Bailey and Coopers' service game, as well as Tyson on the attack, helped Loyola win nine of the final 11 points. Bailey served up three straight aces, followed by one from Cooper, then Tyson found the floor with back-to-back attacks, her sixth and seventh kill of the set, to win the game, 25-17.
The match was forced to a fifth after the Lady Eagles won the fourth game 25-21, but the Wolf Pack sealed their seventh SSAC win of the season by taking Set 5 15-7. Kailyn O'Neal, Preslie Boswell and Sheperis all had early attacks to keep Loyola ahead by a slim margin, 4-3, then kills by O'Neal and Tyson quickly pushed the advantage to 8-4. Two more attacks for the Wolf Pack then three straight errors by Faulkner put Loyola in a good position, as Boswell finished off the match with a kill.
"This was an exciting win for the program. We continue to see a level of commitment and fight from this team that is incredible. Their will to win is inspiring. Kailyn and Gracie did an incredible job of dishing the ball to our attackers. Simone Tyson had another incredible game. Gaby, Emily, and Kailyn added to our strong hitting efficiency. Simone Moreau continues to make her presence known in the backcourt with some impressive defensive plays. We have another tough match tomorrow, but we're excited to keep this train rolling."
Pack Facts
Loyola has defeated Faulkner three consecutive times dating back to the 2021 SSAC Championship. It's the first time Loyola has beaten Faulkner in three straight matches since 2013.
It's also the first win at Faulkner for head coach Jesse Zabal.
Simone Tyson set a new career-high in kills with 20 for the match with a .436 hitting percentage. She also reached her previous best of 18 kills against Faulkner on October 1. She's also the second player in the SSAC to record a 20-kill performance in a league match.
In addition to the career-best attacking performance, Tyson had 15 digs to notch her eighth double-double of the season.
Emily Sheperis and Preslie Boswell were second on the team with nine kills each. Sheperis also finished the match with seven blocks, which ties her career-best, set four times last season.
Simone Moreau dug the ball 25 times, her second-best defensive performance of the season. She's recorded at least 35 digs in three matches this year.
Kailyn O'Neal posted her sixth double-double this season with a line of 25 assists, 15 digs, six kills, and three blocks.
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.
