SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team started its 2023 campaign on Friday in San Antonio, defeating host team Our Lady of the Lake in straight sets and losing to Bellevue (Neb.) in three. 
 

The Pack is set for two more matches on Saturday, going up against No. 23 Texas Wesleyan at 12 p.m. and No. 1 Jamestown (N.D.) at 3 p.m. to close out the weekend. 
 

Loyola 3, OLLU 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-21)

Loyola came out of the gates strong, scoring the first four points of the match before OLLU got on the board. The Pack would then extend its lead to 9-3, prompting a timeout from the Saints. Freshmen featured heavily in the opening frame, with Alexa Palmer putting down a team-best four kills, while Ellie Connor contributed seven assists and five digs, both team highs. The Pack never trailed in the set, taking it 25-23. 
 

The Wolf Pack again got off to a good start in the second set, taking the first three points before OLLU scored. Loyola again went wire-to-wire in the period, securing as much as a 10-point lead at 23-13. The middle blockers were excellent in the second, as Amaya Bazemore and Emily Sheperis notched four kills apiece and the Wolf Pack took the set 25-17.

The Saints kept things much closer in the third, with the home team taking its first lead of the match early in the frame at 4-3. Loyola quickly regained the lead, eventually cruising to a 25-21 set victory. 
 

#17 Bellevue 3, Loyola 0 (25-22, 25-18, 27-25)

Loyola grabbed the first point of the match with an Alexa Palmer kill. The teams played fairly evenly in the frame, with Loyola holding a late lead at 20-19. The Bruins then closed out the set on a 6-2 run, carrying momentum into the second set, where they never trailed to take a 2-0 lead in the match.  
 

Bellevue had a quick start to the third, jumping out to a 5-1 lead before Loyola began to build a comeback. The Pack first took the lead at 8-7, taking control of the match to go up by as many as eight (20-12). The Bruins fought back to close the gap, however, and stave off a 24-23 match point by Loyola to take set 3 and the match. 
 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"I'm incredibly proud of our group today. They've been anxiously waiting to compete against these teams and have prepared so well. We came out really strong, in good rhythm, and consistent against OLLU. Ellie ran a strong offense in her first outing. Across the board we were offensively efficient, with Amaya really standing out with 9 kills and .400 hitting percentage. ]
 

"While a 0-3 loss is tough, Bellevue is one of the strongest teams we've come up against in my tenure at Loyola. They are well-balanced and well-coached, but our team was not backing down without a fight. Bellevue had a few really strong blocks in a row and after a small adjustment, we answered right back. Alexa and Amaya came up with some huge blocks in those moments. We have two more tough tests tomorrow against Texas Wesleyan and Jamestown, but we know wholeheartedly that this group is up for the challenge." 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola's volleyball team has won its first game of the season in each of the last four years, and in all but one of Jesse Zabal's seven seasons as head coach. 

• Amaya Bazemore led the Wolf Pack in kills with nine on a .400 hitting percentage against OLLU. She also had four solo blocks to lead the team. 

• Freshman Ellie Connor had a solid start to her Wolf Pack career, putting up a team-high 16 assists with seven digs. She also led the team in assists against Bellevue with eight. 

• Alexa Palmer recorded six kills in her Wolf Pack debut against OLLU, adding a team-high six blocks (4 solo) against Bellevue. 

You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.