NEW ORLEANS – The Wolf Pack volleyball team claimed their fifth straight match on Friday, defeating the Faulkner Lady Eagles in four sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-27, 25-12) in The Den. All five wins during the winning streak have been Southern States Athletics Conference contests, too, moving the Pack to 16-9 overall and 9-3 in the league play. 
 

Loyola will next welcome Mobile to The Den on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matchup. The Pack, which is currently in third place in the league standings, holds a one-game lead over the Rams. 
 

Block assists by Simone Tyson and Amaya Bazemore, followed by a kill by Bazemore helped break an early 4-4 tie in the game's first set. Tyson then recorded a kill and a service ace moments later, 8-5, and attacks by Brittany Cooper and Preslie Boswell prompted a Lady Eagle timeout at 10-6. The Wolf Pack continued their run with two more points after the break, but the visitors made it a two-point game, 16-14, later in the set. Tyson and Bazemore continued to play well for Loyola, as both notched another kill to swing the momentum back in the Pack's favor, then Bazemore recorded back-to-back blocks, one being a solo and another with Boswell, to really give Loyola the edge in the set, 21-15. From there, Loyola closed out the game with ease. 
 

Loyola started the second set hot, using two kills by Cooper and a solo block by Emily Sheperis to gain the early 5-0 lead. After Faulkner finally got on the board, Simone Moreau made a diving dig to help win the team's sixth point, keeping the run alive. However, the Lady Eagles didn't go down quietly, trimming the deficit to 10-8 and 12-10, but a 5-0 run quickly reversed the tide for the home team, 17-10. Cooper had a kill and an ace during that run, and Sheperis had an attack that found the floor as well. From there, Tyson, Bazemore, Sheperis and Emma Fahy all recorded kills en route to taking a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 

Faulkner had its best start to a set in the third, jumping ahead 5-2 on the Wolf Pack. Back-to-back attacks by Cooper tied the game at 6-all, though. Again, the Lady Eagles pulled ahead by three, and again, Cooper had two more kills to keep Loyola close, 11-9. Sheperis followed that up with two powerful kills, and a solo block by Bazemore tied the game, 15-15. Sheperis then served an ace to win the next point and give Loyola its first lead of the set, but Faulkner was able to edge the Pack, 27-25, to force a fourth game. 
 

After an evenly played beginning to the set, Loyola pushed ahead by six to take a 12-6 lead. Bazemore had a kill and Moreau served an ace during that run for the Wolf Pack, but Faulkner cut the score to three a few times to eventually make it a 15-12 game. That would be the last point the Lady Eagles would win, too, as Fahy started a 10-0 run with a kill. Rebecca LaCour stepped up to the service line and never allowed a side-out to clinch the win for the Wolf Pack. 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"Really proud of our group. It's tough to play a team within ten days of having just played them. We played a great match at their place last week and you can hope that it's the same result, but it's difficult to measure how much has changed with a team in that short amount of time. Despite the lull in set three, our group really showed up. It's great to see four players with double digit kills, and both middles hitting over .400! And we have to give some credit to both setters for those attacking numbers. They did a great job of spreading the ball and creating connections throughout the night. We also put up big time blocking numbers. Coach Robbie has been doing a fantastic job of preparing them for these matches and it showed tonight. Once again, Simone Moreau just wouldn't let the ball go down and hit another 6+ digs per set performance. Really proud of the whole group for staying focused throughout a tough match."

Pack Facts

• Four different Wolf Pack attackers recorded at least 10 kills: Amaya Bazemore (13), Emily Sheperis (12), Simone Tyson (11), and Brittany Cooper (10).

• Bazemore led the team in kills while also putting up a match-high seven blocks, two of them being solo blocks. 

• At the net, Loyola combined for 11 blocks, the team's highest total since August 27. The Wolf Pack have four matches this season with at least 10 blocks.

• Simone Tyson got her team-leading ninth double-double of the season, adding 18 digs to her 11 kills.

• Brittany Cooper also notched a double-double, her fourth of the season, with 24 digs and 10 kills. It was her highest dig total since the 2019 season. 

• The memorable defensive performance also put Cooper into the Wolf Pack Volleyball record book. She entered the top 10 in career digs, now with 1,285 for her career to rank 10th in Loyola history. 

• Cooper's dig total wasn't the highest of the match, however, as SSAC Defender of the Week Simone Moreau posted 25 total digs. 

• Gracie Bailey notched her sixth double-double of the season, which is the second-most on the team. Bailey put up her highest assist total since her sophomore season with 26, adding 12 digs.

• Rebecca LaCour wasn't far behind Bailey in assists, with 24 total. 

• Emma Fahy set new career highs with seven kills and six digs.

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.