Volleyball begins road trip with win at UT Southern

PULASKI, Tenn. – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team hit the road on Friday for another Southern States Athletic Conference trip, first making a stop in Pulaski, Tennessee, to take on UT Southern. The Wolf Pack earned the 3-0 win over the Firehawks to improve their SSAC record to 5-2, and they'll take on Blue Mountain Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 

The Wolf Pack (16-6) didn't allow UT Southern to extend its early 3-0 lead, winning eight of the next 10 points, including a 6-0 run, to take the lead for good, 8-5. Alexa Palmer, Isis Harink and Clarissa Dupree all had kills during that stretch. Harink added back-to-back kills, then Ivana De Carvalho Peixe, Samantha Guillotte and Katy Hollingsworth helped spread Loyola's offense, 16-10. The Firehawks weren't much of a threat in the opening set after that. 
 

The second set was much closer, with UT Southern holding the lead for most of the game. After the hosts went up early, 4-1, a couple of kills by Dupree helped Loyola tie it, 6-6. The Firehawks went on an 8-3 run after that, 14-9, but the Wolf Pack cut the deficit to one, 16-15, thanks to two attacks from Peixe. UT Southern maintained the lead until Belén Puche Laguna served consecutive aces to flip the advantage, 21-20, and another ace by Lola Blancher put the Pack back on top late, 23-22. Blancher capped off the set win with another ace to give Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 

In Se 3, Loyola jumped out to a 7-3 lead, as Dupree contributed with two kills and a block. Harink also found the floor and Blancher had another ace. Harink had a kill and an ace on back-to-back points, 9-5, then the freshman added another one a couple of points later, 12-7. Leading 17-11, the Wolf Pack saw their lead disappear thanks to a 7-1 run for the Firehawks, 18-18, but kills by Peixe and Guillotte, as well as an ace by Ellie Connor, pushed the Pack back ahead, 21-19. Dupree and Peixe notched kills to set up a set point, and a service error by UT Southern ended the match in Loyola's favor. 
 

Pack Facts

• Isis Harink led the attack with 10 kills with just one error in 175 attempts. She also led the team in blocks with four block assists, the same number as the entire UT Southern team. 

• Ivana De Carvalho Peixe posted 10 kills in just 13 total attacks with one lone error for a hitting percentage of .692, the highest for any Wolf Pack player in a match this season. 

• Clarissa Dupree was one kill under her season high with nine while hitting .333 for the match. 

• Ellie Connor's 17 assists were her fourth-highest individual total of the season, and her highest in a three-set match. Belén Puche Laguna also logged double-digit assists with 15. 

• Loyola served eight aces in the match, with Lola Blancher leading the way with three. She has 10 combined aces in her last two matches. 

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