Wolf Pack earns 10th straight win Saturday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team moved their winning streak to 10 straight after Saturday's four-set win over Mobile (25-23, 25-10, 23-25, 25-19) in The Den. Loyola is now 21-4 overall and 11-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play, a half a game behind undefeated Blue Mountain Christian (11-0) in the league standings. 
 

The Wolf Pack will hit the road for their next set of SSAC games, first traveling to BMCU on Friday before a matchup at UT Southern on Saturday. 
 

A couple of service aces by Emily Sheperis got the match started for the Wolf Pack, then after Mobile answered with two quick points, Loyola won five of the next six points thanks to kills by Alexa Palmer, Juliana Pacini and Simone Tyson. Amaya Bazemore earned her first kill a couple of points later, 8-4, and Tyson and Palmer quickly collected their seconds to make it a 10-6 lead. After the Pack took a 16-10 lead, the Rams won three straight to make it a three-point game, 16-13, eventually tying the game at 22-all. An attack error by Mobile, a block assist by Bazemore and Pacini, and a solo block by Bazemore put the Wolf Pack ahead 1-0 in the match. 
 

The Wolf Pack started the second set well and didn't slow down, racing out to a big lead. Bazemore quickly got a couple of kills, 3-1, and Sheperis combined for a couple of blocks, one with Tyson and another with Preslie Boswell, 11-3. The senior from Yulee, Florida, had another block assist, this time with Pacini, 14-5, then Sheperis continued to dominate with three straight aces, 18-6. She added one more ace two points later, as the Wolf Pack cruised to the second-set win. 
 

After Mobile won a close third set, 25-23, to force a fourth, the Rams started the set with a 4-2 lead. However, kills by Palmer and Tyson tied things up at 4-4. The score remained close until Palmer and Tyson kills, as well as a Palmer-Sheperis block stretched the Loyola lead to five, 15-10. Mobile slowly brought the game to a tie at 18-18, but three straight points that included a Pacini kill and an Ellie Connor ace kept Loyola in front. Then, the Wolf Pack scored four more with a Pacini ace that capped off the conference victory.
 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"Today was just another example of how solid this team is. They have grown to a place where not much phases them. They take the good with the bad and just keep rolling. We knew Mobile would be ready to fight it out, but our group came out calm & steady.
 

To have five different players put up double-digit points is phenomenal. It shows the breadth of our team and that they can rely on anyone to get the job done. I'm most impressed with how we handled the chaotic plays. We had some really tough, but positive touches that turned into clean finishes. We have three more conference games to close out the season, each one as important as the next, but we're excited to celebrate this win today."
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola had three attackers reach double-digit kills for the third time this season. 

• Amaya Bazemore and Simone Tyson led the team with 11 kills each.

• Tyson also had 10 digs, marking her second double-double in a row, her fourth of the season, and the 25th of her collegiate career. 

• Juliana Pacini also posted a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs, her fourth of the year. 

• Ellie Connor recorded 24 assists, her highest assist total in a four-set match. 

• Simone Moreau led the match with 19 digs. She's now past the 1,300-dig mark in her career, now with 1,305 total. 

• Emily Sheperis served up a new career high in aces, with six total and four in the second set alone. She also led the team in blocks with five. 

• Sheperis also passed Tylar Beckham for fifth place on the all-time blocks list in the Wolf Pack record book. The senior now has 341 total blocks in her career. 

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