Loyola splits Day 1 at SSAC Championship

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Southern States Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship got started on Thursday with Pool Play action, as all eight teams played two matches. The Loyola Wolf Pack, which is the fourth seed in Pool A, split their two games with Tennessee Southern and Mobile during Day 1 of competition. 
 

Loyola can extend its season with a win on Friday. The Wolf Pack (1-1) and No. 5-seed Point University (1-1) will play the final game of Pool Play at 1:30 p.m. for a spot in the SSAC Championship Semifinals later at 5:30 p.m.
 

#4 Loyola 3, #8 UT Southern 1 (25-13, 25-21, 25-27, 25-10)

Preslie Boswell found the floor twice early in the first set, then back-to-back kills by Clarissa Dupree made it a 7-3 Wolf Pack lead. Attacks by Emma Fahy, Juliana Pacini and Natalie Burkholder helped bring the lead to 15-9, and Boswell added consecutive kills to pull away, 17-9. Fahy helped finish things in the opening game with two more kills and two more blocks. 
 

A couple of kills by Burkholder gave Loyola an early 3-0 lead, but the Firehawks quickly tied it. Amaya Bazemore notched a couple of kills after that, and Burkholder got another one, to make it a 5-0 Loyola run, 8-3. Tennessee Southern fought back to make it a two-point game, 14-12, but attacks by Boswell, Bazemore and Pacini fought off the Firehawks, 21-17, for the time being. Again, though, UT Southern kept coming back, this time making it a 22-21 Loyola lead, however, kills by Dupree and Boswell gave Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 

After nearly completing the comeback in the third set, Loyola wrapped the match up in the fourth. Five different attackers found the floor to give Loyola an early 6-5 lead, but the Pack won six straight points, 14-6, behind two service aces from Kala Emanuelli to pull ahead. After UTS finally stopped Loyola's run with one point, the Wolf Pack had another run, this time a 7-0 stretch, to completely take control of the set. Dupree led the way with two kills during that run to make it a 21-7 lead. A combination of Bazemore and Fahy with kills and an assisted block helped end the match. 
 

#1 Mobile 3, #4 Loyola 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21)

Mobile started with a 4-1 lead in the opening game, then Fahy sparked three straight points to tie it, 4-4. Eventually, Loyola took a 7-5 lead with another quick 3-0 run that was highlighted by an assisted block by Burkholder and Fahy. Burkholder and Boswell combined for another block a few points later, 11-8, then three straight blocks by the Wolf Pack made it a 16-11 lead. Bazemore had a kill and a service ace on back-to-back points, 18-13, but the Rams were able to cut it to one, 19-18, moments later. Mobile, however, finished the set strong to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 
 

The Rams would go on to win the next two sets to claim the match in straight sets. Boswell got an early kill in the early going of the second set to give Loyola a lead, 4-2, but Mobile jumped in front and never looked back from there. Gabriella Masiello and Bazemore served the Pack to an 8-4 advantage in the third set, but the Rams tied it at 10-all before pulling ahead, 14-13. Back-to-back aces for Bazemore flipped the lead in Loyola's favor, 19-18, however, once the Rams regained the lead, they held on for the win. 
 

Wolf Pack Head Coach Jesse Zabal

"I'm really proud of how we started the day. We did hit a little lull, played a little too safe in the third set against UT Southern and we paid for it. Our response in set four is what we'll lean on, the fact that we know we deserve that win, that we're the better team in that situation, and we can take care of business. Both offensively & defensively an impressive match The tough part comes with the turn around, managing time, recovery, and mental focus to face a tough Mobile team later in the day. We just weren't all there. We did some really great things, but more often than not, we were just a step behind and that's a tough spot to be in against a team like Mobile. In these moments, we're really grateful for more opportunities to play and prove ourselves."
 

Pack Facts

• Preslie Boswell led the Pack in kills on the day, with a team-high eight against Mobile and a career-high 16 kills against UT Southern. 

• Ellie Connor also got a new career high with 28 assists against UT Southern. She led the team with 16 assists vs. Mobile as well. 

• In the UT Southern match, Amaya Bazemore notched her first double-double at Loyola, posting an incredible stat line of 16 kills in just 25 attempts (.640) with no errors plus 10 blocks. It's the second double-double of her collegiate career, as she had a match with 12 kills and 10 blocks at Pensacola State College. 

• Bazemore is at 124 total blocks this season, eighth-most in a season in program history. This season has also vaulted her up to fifth in Loyola history in total blocks with 356. 

• Bazemore's two most efficient hitting performances this season have come against the Firehawks. In two matches vs. UTS, she has 31 kills on 48 attempts with no errors, a hitting percentage of .646. 

• Simone Moreau's 25 digs against UT Southern marked the fourth time she's reached 25 digs in a match this season. She also had 11 digs to lead the team against Mobile, while Kala Emanuelli had nine. 
   

2024 SSAC Volleyball Championship Schedule

Pool A: #1 Mobile, #4 Loyola, #5 Point, #8 UT Southern
Pool B: #2 Blue Mountain, #3 William Carey, #6 Faulkner, #7 Life
 

Day 1 - Pool A | Nov. 14
No. 1 Mobile def. No. 5 Point, 3-0
No. 4 Loyola def. No. 8 UT Southern, 3-1
No. 5 Point def. No. 8 UT Southern, 3-0
No. 1 Mobile def. No. 4 Loyola, 3-0
 

Day 1 - Pool B | Nov. 14
No. 2 Blue Mountain def. No. 6 Faulkner, 3-0
No. 3 William Carey def. No. 7 Life, 3-0
No. 6 Faulkner def. No. 7 Life, 3-2
No. 3 William Carey def. No. 2 Blue Mountain, 3-0
 

Day 2 - Pool A | Nov. 15
11:00 a.m. | No. 1 Mobile (2-0) v. No. 8 UT Southern (0-2)
1:30 p.m. | No. 5 Point (1-1) v. No. 4 Loyola (1-1)
5:30 p.m. | Semifinal | Pool A #1 v. Pool B #2
 

Day 2 | Nov. 15
11:00 a.m. | No. 2 Blue Mountain (1-1) v. No. 7 Life (0-2)
1:30 p.m. | No. 6 Faulkner (1-1) v. No. 3 William Carey (2-0)
5:30 p.m. | Semifinal | Pool A #2 v. Pool B #1
 

Day 3 | Nov. 16
2:00 p.m. | Championship
 

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