Loyola wins eighth straight SSAC match

The Wolf Pack continues to see success in Southern States Athletic Conference play, defeating Brewton-Parker Friday to move their league record to 9-1

NEW ORLEANS  – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team hasn't lost a Southern States Athletic Conference match in more than a month, and the streak stayed true Friday night against Brewton-Parker. The Wolf Pack made quick work of the Lady Barons, starting their two-match SSAC weekend with a straight-sets win (25-12, 25-15, 25-12) at Tulane's Devlin Fieldhouse. 

The win moves Loyola's record to 15-7 overall, but importantly, 9-1 in league play and remains tied with Blue Mountain atop the standings. It'll take on Middle Georgia State next, hosting the Knights at noon on Saturday in Ursuline Academy's gym. 

After a close start to the first set, Loyola pulled away midway through the game to take a 1-0 lead over Brewton-Parker. Loyola took a quick 3-0 lead after a Preslie Boswell attack and a couple of errors by BPC, but the Lady Barons fought back to cut the Wolf Pack's lead to 7-6. Loyola, however, won the next seven of eight points to grab control of the set, thanks to a couple of more kills by Boswell and a service ace by Simone Moreau. Leading 14-7, the Wolf Pack continued to push ahead, adding attacks by Jordan Bernard, Simone Tyson and Alicia Simmons, along with an ace by Brittany Cooper to take a 23-11 advantage. Two more errors by Brewton-Parker gave Loyola a 25-12 first-set win. 

It was Brewton-Parker's turn to go up 3-0, jumping out to the early lead in the second set. Loyola, though, went on a 6-0 run with Moreau serving to flip the score for good. Gracie Bailey followed up that run with an ace, and Emily Sheperis added a kill to make it a 12-4 game, then three kills by Tyson in a short time span pushed Loyola's lead to 19-9. Dallis Brown helped finish off the set with her service game, earning two late in the set to give the Wolf Pack a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Cooper and Simmons got things going for the Wolf Pack in the third set with a couple of attacks, and an ace by Cooper gave the Wolf Pack a 6-2 lead. Tyson and Simmons each had kills, which were surrounded by Brewton-Parker errors, pushing the score to 10-4. A 5-0 run with Brown serving put the Pack in complete control, as the junior recorded a couple of aces in the process. Moreau also had an ace, putting the Wolf Pack up 19-6, then Boswell, Sheperis and Tyson traded kills to end the match. 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"We're excited to get our ninth conference tonight. The next two weeks will be important for the final season standings, and every win helps. We saw some great things from everyone on our active roster. We're so pleased with the ability of everyone on our team to step in and have a positive impact on our success. Gracie, Kailyn, and Rebecca all saw time at the setter position and did well connecting with our attackers. We were extremely efficient on offense and consistent on defense. Simone Tyson, Preslie Boswell, Jordan Bernard, and Emily Sheperis all had notable hitting percentages, and Simone Moreau once again led with digs. We continue to grow and improve and we're looking forward to the challenges ahead of us."

Pack Facts

• After Friday's win, Loyola is now 19-0 all-time against Brewton-Parker. 

• Loyola finished with 11 total service aces, one shy of the team's best of 12 in a three-set match set this season. It's also the fourth time this season the Pack has recorded more than 10 aces in three sets. 

• Dallis Brown led the team with four aces, which is a new career-high for the junior. 

• Loyola's .361 team hitting percentage ties for the second-best mark of the season, which also came against Brewton-Parker. The team's best percentage of the season is .486. 

• Emily Sheperis had a team-high .625 percentage, and it's the fourth time this season with a hitting percentage of at least .600 for the sophomore. She recorded five kills on eight attacks with no errors. 

• Sheperis also notched three total blocks - two solo and one assist - in the match, and it's the 11th game this season with at least that many. 

• Preslie Boswell had no errors, tallying six kills on 13 tries for a .462 percentage, which is the third-best mark of the freshman's short career. 

• Simone Tyson had a team-high eight kills with a .429 hitting percentage, and that's the fourth time this season with a .400 hitting percentage or better. 

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