NEW ORLEANS – In a battle of two teams near the top of the Southern States Athletic Conference standings, third-place Loyola took down fourth-place Mobile in three sets (25-14, 25-18, 25-14) Saturday in The Den. The win puts the Wolf Pack at 17-9 overall and 10-3 in SSAC play, which is two games out of first place.
 

Loyola is now set for a three-match stretch away from home, traveling to Life University, Talladega College and William Carey University over the next 10 days. 
 

The Pack earned all three of the first points their own, using a kill by Brittany Cooper a combined block by Emily Sheperis and Emma Fahy, and a service ace by Gracie Bailey to take a 3-0 lead. A couple of blocks by Fahy led to Loyola taking a 7-2 lead, but the Rams battled back to make it an 8-7 lead for the home squad. The Wolf Pack dominated the rest of the set, however, outscoring Mobile 17-7 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Cooper totaled three kills during that stretch, and Sheperis and Fahy each added a pair, too. 
 

Again, Loyola got a 3-0 start to a set, this time scoring the points off three Mobile errors, but again, Mobile fought back to get the game tied at 10 apiece. From there, Sheperis had two blocks during the next two points - one solo and one combined with Simone Tyson - to put Loyola up for good, 12-10. A Cooper ace and an attack by Sheperis helped extend the run to five, then an ace by Sheperis made it a 17-12 lead. Preslie Boswell got in on the attacking action, and a block assist by Sheperis and Fahy, followed by an ace by Cooper ended the set. 
 

Loyola saved its best set for last, dominating in the third set to sweep the match. Starting the set with a kill by Sheperis and an ace by Bailey put the Pack up 2-0. After a Mobile score, Loyola went on a run scoring 15-4. After that, the Wolf Pack continued to dominate Mobile. Mistakes by Mobile made victory certain for the Pack, and a kill by Cooper ended the day for Mobile, winning 25-14.

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"What an incredible match today! The energy in the gym was fantastic and our team played lights out. Rebecca and Gracie had another great match of connecting with hitters all the way across the net. And congrats to Gracie on earning her 2,000 career assist today. It has been such a joy watching her grow into the player she is today and this is such a phenomenal milestone. To have both setters so evenly distributing the ball and earning assists can be a tough task. Lots of credit goes to our hitters who continued to be smart & persistent attackers. Emily, Preslie, Ty, and Emily were incredibly efficient throughout the match. Gracie, Ty, and Mo also had great defensive games, all earning double digit digs. And our block continues to shut everything down from our opponents' offensive attack. We have more big matches coming up that we'll look forward to preparing for next week, but for now, we'll enjoy this big win!"

Pack Facts

• Gracie Bailey is the newest member of the 2,000 assist club, as her 16-assist performance put her at 2,006 assists for her collegiate career. She's one of just eight players in Loyola history to have at least 2,000 assists in her career. 

• Bailey also entered the Wolf Pack record book for her serving. The senior served two aces on Saturday, giving her 172 for her career. That's tied for the ninth-most in a career in Loyola history. 

• The only double-double of the day also belonged to Bailey, as she finished with a stat line of 16 assists, 10 digs, and two aces. 

• Loyola was led in attack by Brittany Cooper, who earned a match-high with nine kills and three service aces. 

• Cooper is on the cusp of 1,000 kills for her career. She's currently at 991 kills. 

• Emily Sheperis had one of her most efficient attacking performances of the season. With no attacking errors and eight kills in 15 attempts, she finished the match with a hitting percentage at .533. 

• Three different Wolf Pack hitters ended the match with at least a .300 hitting percentage: Sheperis, Cooper (.304), and Simone Tyson (.300).

• This is the first time Loyola has defeated Mobile in straight sets since Oct. 23, 2012. 

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