Volleyball starts SSAC Championship 2-0

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The second-seeded Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team didn't drop a set during Day 1 of the SSAC Championship, defeating No. 6-seed William Carey and No. 3 Life in straight sets. Loyola will finish Pool B play on Friday, taking on No. 7 UT Southern at 11 a.m.
 

The semifinals are set for later in the day at 5:30 p.m. 
 

#2 Loyola 3, #6 William Carey 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-19) 

Kills by Simone Tyson, Preslie Boswell and Emily Sheperis helped Loyola jump out to a 5-2 lead, then a block by Amaya Bazemore and Alexa Palmer, as well as a service ace by Ellie Connor, made it a 10-5 lead in the early going. The duo of Bazemore and Palmer combined for another block moments later, and they each recorded kills after that to extend the lead to 15-9. Tyson kept the momentum in Loyola's favor with another kill and service ace, 18-10, as the Wolf Pack never looked back from there. Palmer and Bazemore added a couple more blocks for good measure, giving the Pack four in the opening game. 
 

After William Carey took an early 2-1 in the second set, Loyola grabbed control with a 6-0 run. Tyson collected a kill and an ace during that stretch, and Boswell added another kill before the Crusaders could win a point. WCU would eventually tie the set at 9-9 and 10-10, but a kill by Palmer and an ace by Samantha Ingram made it a multi-point lead again, 14-11. A couple of kills by Tyson kept Loyola ahead, 19-16 and 20-18, then Boswell added her sixth kill and a couple of errors by the Crusaders gave Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 

The Crusaders started the third set well, taking a 6-2 lead. The opposition held the lead for the majority of the game, but the set would be tied at 11-, 12-, 14-, 15- and 16-all until Palmer's attack put Loyola ahead for the first time, 17-16. Palmer added another kill, Carey had three errors, and Boswell and Sheperis combined for a block to force a late timeout by WCU, 23-18. Sheperis and Juliana Pacini finished the match with back-to-back kills. 
 

#2 Loyola 3, #3 Life 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-16)

Bazemore collected a couple of blocks in the first five points for Loyola, and kills by Boswell, Pacini and Tyson quickly gave the Wolf Pack a 10-4 lead in the first set. Life battled back to make it a one-point game a couple of times, but two kills by Pacini and another from Boswell kept Loyola ahead, 16-14. A Bazemore attack sparked six straight points for Loyola to extend the advantage to 22-15. Bazemore and Palmer combined for a block during that run, and kills by Palmer and Sheperis ended the game in Loyola's favor. 
 

Loyola went on an early 5-0 run with Ingram serving, as she recorded two aces to give Loyola a 5-1 lead. After Life cut the deficit to 6-5, Sheperis served three straight aces, 10-5, then Palmer and Bazemore each found the floor twice on attack, 16-11. Leading 19-18, a combination of Boswell and Pacini gave the Wolf Pack the 25-21 second-set win. 
 

Pacini had a good start to the third set with a kill and two aces, and Tyson and Bazemore picked up two early kills each to make it a 10-6 lead. Life fought back to tie at 10, but two kills by Tyson and another ace by Ingram pushed the Pack back ahead, 14-11. Bazemore continued to dominating at the net and Palmer had back-to-back kills to push the lead even more, 20-14, and Simone Moreau recorded the team's 11th ace to finish off the match. 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"I'm extremely proud of how we came into day one of this tournament. This is a tough week with a lot of volleyball, but our group really started the day off excited and focused. In the first match, Carey did a great job of serving aggressively, which affected how often we were in system. The best part was all four of our pin hitters did a fantastic job of maintaining efficiency when we couldn't get the ball to our middles. In the second match against Life, we upped our blocking and service game from the first match. We also had a few really great hustle plays that kept a fire lit under us to keep battling it out. This team's trust and support towards each other is the only way we make it through day one so well. We move on to our final pool play match tomorrow morning and it truly is one step at a time from here on out."
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola's 25 wins this season are the program's most since the 2012 campaign, when the team finished the year with a 28-9 record. 

• The Wolf Pack totaled 11 service aces against Life, marking the team's ninth match with double-digit aces this season. With four total aces on the day, Emily Sheperis now has 44 this season, which leads the SSAC. 

• Loyola posted a team hitting percentage of at least .350 in both matches, exactly .350 against Life and .418 against William Carey. 

• Freshman Alexa Palmer, who earned Second-Team All-Conference honors on Wednesday, led the Wolf Pack with 16 kills on the day. 

• Palmer had nine kills with just one error on a match-high .571 hitting percentage against Life, adding seven more kills while hitting .364 against Carey.

• Simone Tyson led the Pack with nine kills while hitting .500 against Carey, plus six kills vs. Life and 10 total digs through the two matches. 

• Amaya Bazemore totaled 10 blocks through the day's two matches, with seven coming against Life. 

• Simone Moreau led the team in digs in both matches, with 10 against Life and nine against Carey. 

• Ellie Connor and Samantha Ingram each had 15 assists in the Carey match. Connor led the team with 16 against Life, while Ingram was also in double digits with 10. 

2023 SSAC Volleyball Championship Schedule

Pool A:                 
#1 Blue Mountain - 2-0
#4 Point - 1-1
#5 Mobile - 1-1
#8 Faulkner - 0-2
 

Pool B: 
#2 Loyola - 2-0
#3 Life - 1-1
#6 William Carey - 1-1
#7 UT Southern - 0-2
 

Day 1 - Pool A | Nov. 9
9:00 a.m. | No. 1 Blue Mountain def. No. 5 Mobile, 3-0
11:30 a.m. | No. 4 Point def. No. 8 Faulkner, 3-0
2:00 p.m. | No. 5 Mobile def. No. 8 Faulkner, 3-0
4:30 p.m. | No. 1  Blue Mountain def. No. 4 Point, 3-0
 

Day 1 - Pool B | Nov. 9
9:00 a.m. | No. 2 Loyola def. No. 6 William Carey, 3-0
11:30 a.m. | No. 3 Life def. No. 7 UT Southern, 3-1
2:00 p.m. | No. 6 William Carey def. No. 7 UT Southern, 3-2
4:30 p.m. | No. 2 Loyola def. No. 3 Life, 3-0
 

Day 2 - Pool A | Nov. 10
11:00 a.m. | No. 1 Blue Mountain v. No. 8 Faulkner
1:30 p.m. | No. 4 Point v. No. 5 Mobile
5:30 p.m. | Semifinal | Pool A #1 v. Pool B #2
 

Day 2 - Pool B | Nov. 10
11:00 a.m. | No. 2 Loyola v. No. 7 UT Southern
1:30 p.m. | No. 6 William Carey v.  No. 3 Life
5:30 p.m. | Semifinal | Pool A #2 v. Pool B #1 
 

Day 3 | Nov. 11
2:00 p.m. | Championship 
 

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