Wolf Pack sweeps Running Eagles Saturday

NEW ORLEANS – After Saturday's straight-sets win over Life University (Ga.), the Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team has now won nine straight sets dating back to last weekend's win over Faulkner. Loyola is now 13-5 overall and 4-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play after a 2-0 weekend in The Den. 
 

Loyola will take a break from conference play on Wednesday when it hosts Dillard University for a cross-town matchup. 
 

Belén Puche Laguna and Lola Blancher each had aces during Loyola's first six points, and a couple of attacks by Ivana De Carvalho Peixe made it an 8-4 lead for the Wolf Pack. Ellie Connor added another ace, and Clarissa Dupree had a nice defensive save that resulted in a kill for the sophomore, 13-9. Alexa Palmer and Isis Harink combined for a block, then the two each had a couple of kills to extend Loyola's advantage to 20-10. Life tried to get back in it, but the Pack took advantage of Running Eagles' errors to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 
 

After Life won the first two points of the second set, three kills from Samantha Guillotte quickly flipped the lead in Loyola's favor, 5-3. Katy Hollingsworth and Palmer teamed up for two blocks, 9-4, then Hollingsworth and Dupree formed a wall to keep the momentum on the Wolf Pack's side, 12-7. A 6-0 run for the Pack, which featured three kills by Peixe, two kills from Guillotte, and an ace by Blancher, helped Loyola take a 2-0 lead in the match. 
 

Five errors by Life allowed the Wolf Pack to get out of the gates fast in the third game, 5-2. Harink and Guillotte had back-to-back attacks, and Kala Emanuelli served an ace to keep it a comfortable lead, 8-3. Peixe, Palmer, Hollingsworth, and Dupree took turns finding the floor, 12-7, before Life cut the deficit to 15-14. Connor served a couple of aces to get Loyola into double digits for the third consecutive match, and two more kills by Harink put the finishing touches on the match. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola held Life to a hitting percentage of -.024, its worst hitting performance of the season. The Wolf Pack hit .247 in the match, powered by an efficient .429 in the second set. 

• Ellie Connor tied her career high, and freshman Lola Blancher set a new season high with four service aces apiece. 

• Loyola combined for 10 service aces, which is the 10th time the team has reached that mark this season. 

• Samantha Guillotte led the way in attack, leading all players with 11 kills on a .304 hitting percentage. 

• Isis Harink (.375) and Ivana De Carvalho Peixe (.190) both put up nine kills in the match.

• Alexa Palmer turned in one of her most efficient games of the season, finishing with six kills and just one error for a .556 hitting percentage.  

• Belén Puche Laguna totaled 20 assists for the match, with Connor also reaching double figures at 11 assists, while Life only had 19 assists as a team. 

• After serving six aces this weekend, Puche still leads the NAIA with 53 total aces through the team's first 18 matches. 

• Harink, Palmer, and Katy Hollingsworth all tied for the game high with three blocks each. 

• Kala Emanuelli led the defense with 14 digs, while Lola Blancher had her highest dig total of conference play with nine. 

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