Wolf Pack wins non-conference matchup at Xavier

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team took on New Orleans rival Xavier on Tuesday, earning a five-set win over the Golden Nuggets (28-26, 21-25, 29-27, 15-25, 15-7) in the XULA Convocation Center. 
 

Loyola (19-4, 9-1 in SSAC) will return to Southern States Athletic Conference play this weekend, hosting Stillman College and Mobile on Friday and Saturday. First serve against the Tigers on Friday is set for 6 p.m., and the match against Mobile will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday. 
 

Emily Sheperis and Simone Tyson got the match started on a good note for the Wolf Pack with Sheperis getting the game's first kill and Tyson notching the first block to help bring the score to 3-0. After the Golden Nuggets took a 6-4 lead, Juliana Pacini, Preslie Boswell and Amaya Bazemore all got their first kills to regain the lead, 7-6. Alexa Palmer, Pacini and Bazemore had blocks to maintain the lead, 11-9, and a Tyson kill gave Loyola a three-point lead, 13-10, matching its largest lead of the opening game. Xavier, however, would hold leads of 18-16 and 20-19 before a couple of XULA errors and a block by Palmer and Bazemore flipped the lead, 22-20, Loyola. The two teams went into a win-by-two scenario after the hosts tied it at 24-24, but a Xavier error and a skill by Pacini gave Loyola a 28-26 first-set win. 
 

After Xavier won the second set to even the match, the third set was close in the early going with a couple of kills each by Palmer and Sheperis to give Loyola a slim 6-5 advantage. Ellie Connor and Pacini both served aces to extend the lead a little bit, 11-6, and a setter dump by Samantha Ingram made it a 14-8 lead. The Golden Nuggets, however, fought back to tie it at 15-all but ultimately a 16-4 run gave XULA six set points. Loyola would not be denied, though, as kills by Bazemore and Palmer helped cut the deficit to 24-21, prompting a Xavier timeout, then back-to-back kills for Tyson and back-to-back kills from Palmer put Loyola ahead 25-24. After an attack error by XULA made it a 28-27 Wolf Pack lead, Tyson served an ace to put Loyola ahead 2-1 in the match. 
 

Xavier evened the match once again with a 25-15 win in the fourth set. 
 

In the decisive fifth set, Loyola won the first two points off Simone Moreau's serve and Palmer's second kill of the set made it a quick 3-1 lead. After that, two kills by Tyson pushed the lead to 6-2 before a 3-0 run made the lead 9-3. Two separate block assists by Bazemore and Palmer led to the Wolf Pack taking a 12-5 lead, then Tyson finished things off with match-point after two XULA attacking errors. 
 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"Grit & tenacity are the best words to describe how this team earned this win tonight. To be down 19-24 in set three, and fight off set point that many times to win is incredible. Xavier is always a match we look forward to because we know they'll test every aspect of our game, and they did just that. They passed very well so we really had to pick up our service game. And they have heavy hitters and big blocks. 

It was important for us to get pushed this much to test that ability to stay balanced and calm in tight situations. We've proven that we can come out of close 5-set matches, and I'm incredibly proud of the accountability that took place among our team tonight to make sure it would happen again. It will take every single member of our team to continue achieving our goals and I know they're up for the challenge." 
 

Pack Facts

• This was Loyola's first win against the Gold Nuggets in Xavier's Convocation Center since the facility opened in 2012.

• Loyola is now 17-13 against Xavier in the teams' all-time series dating back to the 1994 season. 

• Loyola fought off six consecutive match points to take the third set 29-27. 

• This season, the Wolf Pack have won all three of its five-set matches. 

• Simone Tyson posted her third double-double of the year, and 24th of her career, with 15 kills and 17 digs. Both were team highs on Tuesday. 

• Alexa Palmer put up a new career high with 10 kills in the match. She also finished with seven blocks to tie her career-best performance from the season's opening weekend. 

• Amaya Bazemore also recorded seven blocks to go along with nine kills for the match. 

• Five different Wolf Pack players finished with at least seven kills, with Emily Sheperis at nine and Juliana Pacini at seven kills plus four aces. 

• Ellie Connor reached a career high in assists for the second time in three matches, with 25 total assists against Xavier, including 10 in the third set. 

• Samantha Ingram also was over 20 assists with 21 for the match. 

 

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