NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team kept things rolling Friday night, winning its third straight Southern States Athletic Conference contest with a three-set win over Middle Georgia State (25-19, 26-24, 25-12). The win moves the Wolf Pack to 14-9 overall and 7-3 in conference play. 
 

After MGA took a quick 3-0 lead, Emily Sheperis finally got the Pack on the board with a powerful swipe from her middle blocker position. The Knights were still able to hold a slim lead on the Pack for most of the early portion of the set, but back-to-back kills by Amaya Bazemore and Preslie Boswell tied it at 9-all. After Brittany Cooper gave her team the lead, Loyola never trailed. Attacks by Bazemore and Sheperis, as well as three MGA errors helped the Pack take a 15-12 lead, then an ace by Rebecca LaCour and another kill by Bazemore made the score 19-13. Boswell found the floor a couple of times down the stretch, allowing Loyola to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 
 

In Set 2, Loyola got off to a good start, 6-2, thanks to Sydney Love and Sheperis, but the Knights clawed back to tie the game a couple of times, even taking a 14-11 lead. The Pack trailed for the majority of the rest of the set, but a late rally allowed them to jump up 2-0 in the match. Trailing 23-20, Loyola won six of the next seven points with the help of Boswell, Tyson and Gracie Bailey on the attack and Bailey on the service line. 
 

Loyola made quick work of the Knights in the third set, getting kills by Sheperis, Bailey, Tyson and Love in the first couple of points, 5-1, then an ace by Sheperis made it a fast 8-1 lead. Bazemore kept things going with two more attacks, 10-3, and Boswell notched her seventh and eighth kills to keep Loyola comfortably ahead, 15-7. Aces by Bailey and Cooper, as well as consecutive kills by Sheperis, kept the pedal down for the Pack, 21-9.

The Pack will now host Brewton-Parker College for a Saturday afternoon contest. The first serve of that SSAC matchup is set for 12 p.m. in The Den. 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"We started off a little slow tonight, but the team continues to prove they can fight through tough moments. Ty had another solid game offensively and defensively, and our middles Emily and Amaya were really efficient on their attack. Mo came up with some great saves on defense, and Gracie really led on the court today with her connection with hitters, her confidence in the setter attack, and her strong serve. Tomorrow is a great opportunity for us to start faster than tonight and take ownership of a well-played match."

 

Pack Facts

• Loyola has won its last 12 matches against Middle Georgia and hasn't dropped a set against the Knights since March 2020. 

• Simone Tyson posted her team-high eighth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs. She was the only player for either team with double-digit kills.

• Emily Sheperis and Preslie Boswell each had eight kills. Sheperis also led the team with four blocks and had a hitting percentage of .533.

• Gracie Bailey had three kills in four attempts, including one to save set point at 24-23. She also led the team with 22 assists. 

• Rebecca LaCour was the second Wolf Pack player with double-digit assists, recording 14. 

• Simone Moreau has put up double figures in digs in five-straight matches, with 18 against Middle Georgia. 

• Loyola served eight aces against the Knights, marking the 11th match this season in which the team has had at least eight aces. 

• The Pack had a hitting percentage of .286 for the match, their fifth-highest mark of the season. The Knight were held to .011 hitting for the game

  
  
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