Volleyball rolls in conference win Friday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team made things look easy on Friday, defeating Brewton-Parker College in straight sets (25-4, 25-7, 25-16) in a Southern States Athletic Conference contest. The Wolf Pack is now 14-4 overall and 5-1 in league play, and they'll next welcome Middle Georgia State to The Den on Saturday for a 2 p.m. SSAC matchup. 

Loyola ripped off the first four points of the match in quick fashion, prompting Brewton-Parker to burn its first timeout in the early going. Ellie Connor served an ace during that stretch, then Juliana Pacini, Amaya Bazemore, Alexa Palmer and Emily Sheperis combined for five kills to help bring the lead to 11-2. Simone Moreau also recorded a service ace during that run, too. From there, the Barons could only win two more points, as Loyola racked up 18 total kills in the game. 

The second set was much like the first but with different Wolf Pack players. Katy Hollingsworth got the Pack on the board with a kill and Emma Fahy made it a 7-2 lead with an attack of her own. Natalie Burkholder notched her first kill of the season after that, then Gabby Masiello served an ace to extend the advantage to 12-4. After Juliet Petruzelli tallied a kill, Palmer had a couple of kills to put the game away for Loyola. 

The third set was much closer with 10 ties and three lead changes by the time Loyola pulled ahead for good, 11-10. Kala Emanuelli got on the board with a kill during that time, and Palmer, Burkholder and Pacini saw attacks hit the floor to extend Loyola's lead to 15-9. From there, the Wolf Pack cruised to victory. 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"Fantastic team win tonight! They remained focused and played really well. We had some impressive hustle plays and kept up our hitting efficiency. Natalie had a strong match tonight with 5 blocks. I'm also incredibly impressed with all three of our setters hitting double digit assists in one match. The way that this team has been playing for and with each other has continued to push us forward and we're excited to see that continue to grow.


We're looking forward to inviting the New Orleans community to The Den tomorrow afternoon for our Community Day game. We're supporting Second Harvest Food Bank and ask that everyone bring 2-3 non-perishable food items as their entry fee."
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola improved to 25-0 in its all-time series with Brewton-Parker. The last time the Wolf Pack dropped a set against the Lady Barons was in the 2015 season.

• All three setters on Loyola's roster recorded double-digit assists in Friday's match. Samantha Ingram led the way with 12, and Ellie Connor and Gabby Masiello each had 11 assists. 

• Kala Emanuelli, who slotted in at libero for the first time this season in set 3, led the Wolf Pack with eight digs in the match. 

• Loyola's team hitting percentage was .466 for the match, which is the team's best in a single match in either of the last two seasons. The team's .692 hitting percentage in the first set was also the best of the season. 

• Juliana Pacini led the team with seven kills in her two sets.

• Natalie Burkholder was perfect in attack with five kills in five attempts. She also led the team with five blocks. 

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