Box Score The Loyola Wolf Pack defeated Middle Georgia in the first round of the SSAC Volleyball Championship Thursday
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack started the SSAC Volleyball Championship on fire Thursday, defeating Middle Georgia 3-0 (25-10, 25-13, 25-15) in a match that took slightly longer than an hour. Loyola will now play Mobile at 10 a.m. on Friday in a winner's bracket contest at Montgomery's Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. Mobile defeated Brewton-Parker in straight sets Thursday, and it's the fourth match between the Rams and the Wolf Pack this season.
The Wolf Pack (13-9) started the first set on fire from the service line and on the attack. Loyola's first three attacks found the floor and it had three aces, jumping out to a 7-1 lead behind kills from Brittany Cooper and Emily Sheperis and aces from Gracie Bailey and Jordan Bernard. Cooper added her fourth kill of the set to give the Pack a 10-5 lead, then Kailyn O'Neal notched the team's fourth ace to extend the advantage to 12-5. Bernard had four kills in an eight-point span, and Bailey recorded her third ace of the set to grab control of the opening game, 22-9. Loyola finished the 25-10 win with 11 kills and a .346 attack percentage.
Cooper continued to find the floor in the second set, totaling six kills to help Loyola win big again, 25-13. Bailey got things started with her fourth ace of the match, then Cooper served an ace to give Loyola a 9-5 lead. Cooper also had three kills through Loyola's first nine points, and her next three successful attacks later in the set pushed the lead even more. Bernard and Jules Mokry each had three kills in the set as well, as Loyola took a 2-0 match lead handily.
MGA grabbed its first lead of the match early in Set 3, 3-1, but the Wolf Pack quickly tied the game at 8-8 before scoring 12 of the game's next 13 points. Bernard had two early kills to keep Loyola close on the scoreboard, then three kills from Mokry put Loyola in position for its long run. With Casey Aucoin serving, the Wolf Pack scored 11 straight points behind three more kills from Mokry and an ace for Aucoin. Bernard served up two more aces down the stretch, and Loyola easily closed out MGA, 25-15.
"We are very proud of how the team came out ready to play today. Both Kailyn and Gracie set the ball very well, which allowed us to be very efficient on offense. We also served the ball extremely well, giving us some of our best ace numbers all season. Tonight will be about rest, recovery, and preparation for tomorrow's first match against Mobile."
Pack Facts
Loyola served a season-high 13 aces in the match, and that's the most since the Wolf Pack recorded 16 aces last season against Middle Georgia on Sept. 27, 2019. It's also the third time this season with at least 11 aces in a match.
The team's .352 attack percentage Thursday was the second-best of the season. The Wolf Pack has now recorded a percentage better than .300 four times in their 22 matches.
After earning a new career-best in hitting percentage last week (.579), Brittany Cooper, again, set a new career mark with a .625 percentage against MGA Thursday. She notched her 12th match with at least 10 kills, too, tying for the team-lead with 11 against Middle Georgia.
Cooper also had 10 digs, and that's her ninth double-double of the season.
Jordan Bernard had 11 kills as well, making it her seventh match this season in double digits, and her .579 attack percentage was a career-best performance.
Kailyn O'Neal also had a double-double, her 13th of the season, with 15 assists and 11 digs.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, April 8
Gm 1 | #3 Loyola 3, #6 Middle Georgia 0
Gm 2 | #2 Mobile 3, #7 Brewton-Parker 0
Gm 3 | #4 Faulkner 3, #5 Blue Mountain 1
Gm 4 | Middle Georgia 3, Brewton-Parker 0
Friday, April 9
Gm 5 | C1 | 10 am | #1 William Carey v. Faulkner
Gm 6 | C2 | 10 am | Loyola v. Mobile
Gm 7 | C1 | 12:30 pm | Middle Georgia v. Loser Gm 5
Gm 8 | C2 | 12:30 pm | Blue Mountain v. Loser Gm 6
Gm 9 | C1 | 3 pm | Winner Gm 5 v. Winner Gm 6
Gm 10 | C2 | 3 pm | Winner Gm 7 v. Winner Gm 8
Saturday, April 10
Gm 11 | C1 | 10 am | Winner Gm 10 v. Loser Gm 9
Championship | C1 | 12 pm
If Necessary | C1 | 2 pm
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