NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team kept its unbeaten record in The Den intact on Saturday, defeating Life University in four sets. The Wolf Pack has now won nine matches in a row to improve their record to 16-7 overall and 9-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference play. 

Loyola is back on the road next weekend, as it'll take on Tennessee Southern on Friday and Blue Mountain Christian on Saturday. 

After dropping a close first set, 25-23, Loyola answered with a 25-16 second-set win. Olivia Smith and Lola Blancher served aces in the early going to help build a 6-1 lead, but Life battled back to tie it at 7-all. Clarissa Dupree registered another service ace for the Wolf Pack, and then Caroline McKinney and Tyler Alcorn recorded kills to give Loyola a 14-12 advantage. Belén Puche Laguna had a 3-0 run of just aces to extend the lead, 18-13, then Loyola closed the game with a 7-3 run powered by a couple of kills from Isis Harink. 

The third set was much like the second. It stayed close until Loyola pulled away to take a 2-1 lead in the match. McKinney and Dupree each notched a couple of kills to get the score to a 9-9 tie, then Tyler Alcorn combined on a couple of blocks with Mel Beachnau and McKinney on back-to-back points to help extend the lead to three, 13-10. Life tied it once again and even took a quick lead, 15-14, but the Wolf Pack finished the set on an 11-4 run to wrap up the set. Harink, Smith, Palmer, Dupree and McKinney all had kills during that stretch. 

Loyola dug a hole to start the fourth set, going down 9-3 before an early timeout. The Wolf Pack then matched with a 9-3 run of their own to tie the set at 12-12, taking the lead one point later on back-to-back kills from Alcorn. Life briefly regained the lead, 14-13, before the Wolf Pack scored five of the next six points, highlighted by two kills from Alexa Palmer, to go ahead 18-15. 

Life got one point back to make it 18-16 in the fourth set, but a 5-0 Wolf Pack run would all but put the match away. Harink started the run with a kill, then she and McKinney combined for a block, followed by another kill from McKinney. Lola Blancher then pushed a ball to the back corner for her first kill, and Clarissa Dupree served her second ace of the match to put the Pack ahead 23-16. Life would get two more points before a Beachnau kill and Harink ace closed out the win. 

Pack Facts

• The win on Saturday makes Loyola 9-0 in The Den this season.

• The Wolf Pack came back to win the match in four sets after losing the first set, and they now have a winning record (6-5) when losing the first set. 

• Loyola had 12 service aces as a team, which is the second-highest total of the season. It's the fourth time in double figures this season, and it's happened in back-to-back matches.

• Isis Harink and Belén Puche Laguna each had three aces in the match to lead the team, while Clarissa Dupree and Lola Blancher each had two.

• Two Wolf Pack setters posted at least 20 assists in Saturday's match: Ellie Connor led the team with 22 assists, while Ava Labat notched a new career high with 21.

• Harink and Alexa Palmer each had 10 kills in the match to lead the team. 

• Blancher led all players with 19 digs, marking her 14th consecutive match reaching double figures in digs. 

• The Wolf Pack's 13 blocks were the team's second-most in any match this season. The team was led by Tyler Alcorn's seven blocks, while Harink had six and Palmer and Mel Beachnau each had four. 

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