Box Score The Loyola Wolf Pack traveled to Macon, Georgia, Saturday to complete their regular season ahead of next week's Southern States Athletic Conference tournament
MACON, Ga. – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team earned its 10th conference win of the season Saturday, defeating Middle Georgia State in straight sets (25-20, 25-10, 25-13) on the road to end the regular season. With the win, Loyola moved its record to 12-9 overall and 10-4 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
Next up for the Wolf Pack is the SSAC Championship tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, starting on Thursday, April 8. Loyola is the No. 3 seed in the tournament, and it'll play MGA, again, at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The Wolf Pack attackers shared the wealth to start the first set, as six different players recorded a kill through the first seven points. Casey Aucoin was the first to record two kills, giving Loyola an 8-5 lead, then Jules Mokry had back-to-back attacks to extend the lead to 11-8. Gracie Bailey made it seven players with a kill, pushing the lead to 15-11, and Brittany Cooper and Jordan Bernard each had two kills to give the Wolf Pack a four-point lead, 22-18. Kailyn O'Neal and Cooper finished the set to give Loyola a 1-0 match lead.
Middle Georgia jumped up to a quick 3-1 second-set lead, but Loyola scored five straight points to take the lead. Cooper and Mokry recorded a couple of early kills, then Bernard got in on the action to extend the Wolf Pack lead to 15-8. From there, Loyola scored 10 of the set's next 12 points to easily take a 2-0 match lead. Cooper, O'Neal, Mokry and Emily Sheperis all had kills down the stretch, and Aucoin served an ace to help dominate the last half of the game.
The Wolf Pack continued their dominance in the third set, jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead before extending the advantage to 13-5. Cooper and Bernard combined to have five kills through the first eight points, then attacks by Sheperis, Cooper and Aucoin helped the Wolf Pack get to 13 points midway through the game. Cooper recorded two aces later in the set as well, allowing Loyola to easily win the third game to complete the sweep.
"I am extremely proud of how we played today. Being on the road, and losing two last night, a team can respond positively or negatively. We responded in the most positive way. They came out ready to play and had a lot of fun. Brittany Cooper had an incredible day and did a great job of finding the court offensively. Gracie earned a double-double and made some really great digs for us. And Hélene continues to be solid in the back row, keeping us alive with great digs and saves.
"This group has accomplished so much, and they are all looking forward to preparing for and competing in our conference tournament next week. Finishing the regular season with 10 conference wins checks off another "first in many years" moments. Our third-place seeding also marks another great milestone for this program. We have so much ahead of us, so the goal is to remain present and continue charging forward, together, one step at a time."
Pack Facts
This is just the second time that Loyola compiled at least 10 conference wins since joining the SSAC. The Wolf Pack also earned a 10-4 conference record in the 2011 season.
Helene Masone led all players with 16 digs, bringing her career total to 1,758. She's now fourth all-time in digs at Loyola.
Brittany Cooper led the attack with 13 kills. Her hitting percentage of .579 was the best of her career.
With 11 digs, Cooper was also one of three members of the Pack with double-digit digs. It's her eighth double-double of the season.
Gracie Bailey logged her sixth double-double this season, after a team-leading 17 assists and 14 digs.
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