PULASKI, Tenn. – The Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team took a nine-match winning streak into an important Southern States Athletic Conference match at the Tennessee Southern Firehawks on Friday. The Firehawks led from the jump, claiming a 3-0 win (25-18, 25-22, 27-25) despite a late Wolf Pack push in the third set to end Loyola's winning streak. 

The Wolf Pack (16-8, 9-2 SSAC) will face one more challenge on this road trip, a 1 p.m. contest at Blue Mountain Christian University on Saturday. Loyola will then play its final four matches of the regular season at The Den. 

The Firehawks started the match off with three straight points, but the Wolf Pack responded with three of their own, later taking a lead at 5-4 on a kill from Isis Harink. The Pack led as late as 9-8 in the first set, but a big 7-1 run propelled UT Southern to a first set win. 

The second set played out similarly, as UT Southern scored four of the first five points, eventually taking a 10-5 early lead. Loyola got within one point at 17-16, which prompted a Firehawks timeout, and stayed within two points until late in the set, when the Firehawks scored three consecutive points to grab set point at 24-20. Clarissa Dupree had one of her four kills in the set to get Loyola back within two points at 24-22, and Alexa Palmer had five kills in the frame, but the Firehawks still took the set, 25-22. 

Loyola was able to build a decent lead at 4-1 to start the third set, but UT Southern bounced back with five straight points to go up 6-4. The Pack trailed by as many as three points at 16-13, which led to Loyola's first timeout. After the timeout, the Pack used three kills by Palmer and an ace from Lola Blancher to tie the set at 17-17. From there, the score was tied at 18-18, 19-19, 20-20, 21-21, 22-22, and 23-23 before Loyola had its first set point at 24-23 on a kill from Tyler Alcorn. Loyola would only get one more point on a Firehawk service error, however, as the home team took four of the final five points to clinch the match. 

Pack Facts

• The Wolf Pack attack was led by Alexa Palmer, who finished with 10 kills in 21 attempts. 

• Clarissa Dupree was second on the team with nine kills, while Isis Harink had seven kills and a team-high five blocks. 

• Lola Blancher led all players with 18 digs, adding four assists and two aces. 

• Ellie Connor had a team-high 16 assists and is now over 2,200 assists in her collegiate career. 

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