Pack starts Big Easy Blastoff Thursday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack made the short trip to Xavier's campus on Thursday to begin the Big Easy Blastoff, starting the weekend with a straight sets loss to Marian (Ind.). The Pack is back in action on Friday with two more matches at the XULA Convocation Center. They'll play Campbellsville (Ky.) at 9:30 a.m. and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) at 5 p.m. 
 

Loyola fell into an early hole in the opening set, but it hung tough in Marian's 25-17 first-set win. The second set was much different, though, as the Wolf Pack took a couple of leads throughout only to see the Knights go up 2-0 in the match with a 26-24 second-set win. 
 

A kill by Amaya Bazemore and a few attacking errors by Marian put Loyola ahead 4-3 early, and service errors by the opposition tied the game at 6-6 and 7-7. The Knights made it a four-point lead, 11-7, but two attacks by Bazemore and one from Samantha Guillotte cut it to a two-point deficit. The Wolf Pack was able to tie it again, 14-14, thanks to a kill by Natalie Burkholder, but again, the Knights pulled back ahead by four, 20-16. A combination of Guillotte and Emma Fahy helped the Pack score four straight, 20-20, then three errors by the Knights and a kill by Clarissa Dupree nodded the score again, 24-24. Marian, however, won the final two points to claim the set. 
 

Katy Hollingsworth and Bazemore scored the first four points for Loyola in the third set. Bazemore got a solo block and a kill, while Hollingsworth served an ace and got a kill to bring the score to an early 4-4 tie. Dupree got a kill and a block assist with Burkholder moments later, and a kill by Fahy put the Pack up top, 7-6. Attacks by Guillotte and Fahy tried to stall a Knights run, as they won seven of the next nine points to jump out to a 13-9 lead. That run was extended to a 14-3 run after a Loyola timeout, giving Marian the edge for good. 
 

Pack Facts

• Samantha Guillotte and Clarissa Dupree tied for the team high in kills with six each. 

• Belén Puche Laguna started at setter vs. Marian, finishing with a team-high 13 assists for the match. She also had nine digs.

• Simone Moreau's 11 digs were a team high on Thursday.