Loyola esports begins spring with win over Southeastern

NEW ORLEANS – The 2026 spring season got started Wednesday night for the Loyola University New Orleans Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team, and the Wolf Pack continued their dominant play with a 2-0 win over Southeastern (Fla.). The reigning Sun Conference champions have now won nine straight conference SSBU matchups, and they haven't dropped a crew battle since March 19, 2024. 
 

Loyola will next take on Warner (Fla.) next Wednesday at 6 p.m. 
 

A crew battle consists of four players from each team with three stocks apiece. Each team plays one player at a time until all three stocks are lost. The stocks lost carry over to each head-to-head matchup until all four players from one team lose their three stocks. 
 

Leyton Gould ("ST06"), playing as Sonic, started the first crew battle against Southeastern's R.O.B. and was able to get one stock before Lily Neeley ("Fives"), playing as Lucina, finished off SEU's first player's final two stocks. Southeastern sent out Banjo & Kazooie next, as Neeley was able to get two stocks before losing the final two stocks. Malachi Lee ("Super M"), as Terry, made quick work of Banjo & Kazooie at the Final Destination stage, and he took out the next two characters - Luigi and Captain Falcon - while only losing one stock on the PS2 and Town and City stages.  
 

Gould got the Wolf Pack off to a good start in the second crew battle, defeating Southeastern's Samus player, 3-1, on the Hollow Bastion stage. Gould was able to take two stocks off SEU's next player, Banjo & Kazooie, before Neeley finished off the Fire's second competitor to stay in control of the battle. Neeley took a stock off R.O.B. during the next battle, then Lee was unstoppable once again, finishing off the match by taking the final five of Southeastern's stocks. 
 

First Crew Battle

R.O.B. (Southeastern) def. Sonic (Leyton Gould), 3-1
Lily Neeley (Lucina) def. R.O.B. (Southeastern), 2-1
Banjo & Kazooie (Southeastern) def. Lily Neeley (Lucina), 2-2
Terry (Malachi Lee) def. Banjo & Kazooie (Southeastern), 1-0
Terry (Malachi Lee) def. Luigi (Southeastern), 3-1
Terry (Malachi Lee) def. Captain Falcon (Southeastern), 3-0
Loyola leads match, 1-0
 

Second Crew Battle

Mario (Leyton Gould) def. Samus (Southeastern), 3-1
Banjo & Kazooie (Southeastern) def. Mario (Leyton Gould), 2-2
Lily Neeley (Lucina) def. Banjo & Kazooie (Southeastern), 1-1
R.O.B. (Southeastern) def. Lily Neeley (Lucina), 2-1
Snake (Malachi Lee) def. R.O.B. (Southeastern), 2-1
Snake (Malachi Lee) def. Mario (Southeastern), 3-1
Loyola wins match, 2-0