McPHERSON, Kan. – After sweeping four matches at its home invitational last weekend, the Loyola Wolf Pack volleyball team traveled to Kansas for more nonconference action at the McPherson College Invite. 

The Pack's first two matches were against teams ranked in the top 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll, and while Oklahoma Wesleyan dropped out of the most recent set of rankings, host McPherson moved up from No. 7 to No. 5 in the national poll. Loyola dropped a tough five-setter against Oklahoma Wesleyan before falling in three sets against the host Bulldogs. 

Loyola will return to McPherson's campus Saturday morning to take on two Missouri schools, Central Methodist and Stephens College. The Central Methodist match is scheduled for 9 a.m. while the Stephens match is scheduled for 11 a.m. 

Match 1: Oklahoma Wesleyan 3, Loyola 2 (20-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12)

The opening set featured long scoring runs by both sides. After Ellie Connor found Caroline McKinney for the first point of the game, Oklahoma Wesleyan responded with four straight points to go up 4-1. Later, with the Eagles up 9-5, Loyola then went on a 6-1 run, with McKinney and Mel Beachnau contributing kills, to take the team's first lead since the opening point. Shortly after, the Eagles grabbed the lead back with four consecutive points to make it 16-13, but the Wolf Pack responded with five straight after a timeout to make it 18-16, with Isis Harink contributing two kills and a block in that span. OKWU tied it at 18-18, but Loyola outscored them 7-2 over the remainder of the set to go up 1-0 in the match.

Loyola jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Set 2, with Harink and Clarissa Dupree finding the floor early, but the Eagles quickly regained the lead at 8-7 and never trailed afterward. 

The Pack regained its footing in the third, with Harink and Olivia Smith collecting kills on the first two points of the frame. OKWU responded with four points in a row to go up 4-2, but their lead would not last long, as Loyola eventually went ahead 9-8 and held off the Eagles for the rest of the set. Harink and McKinney each had four kills in the set, while Beachnau had three, including back-to-back kills to close out the set. 

The fourth set was seemingly headed for a Wolf Pack win, with the Pack going up 20-17 and prompting a late Eagles timeout. Oklahoma Wesleyan went on a 5-1 scoring run out of the timeout to take a 22-21 lead, eventually closing out the set to force a deciding fifth. 

The fifth set featured eight different ties, with the final tie coming at 9-9 before Oklahoma Wesleyan pulled away with four straight points. Loyola got within two points at 14-12 with a kill and two blocks from Beachnau, but the Eagles finished it on their third match point. 

Match 2: #5 McPherson 3, Loyola 0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-18)

The Wolf Pack's second match of the day got underway not long after the first finished. It was also the Pack's second top-five matchup so far this season. The first two sets followed a similar pattern, with the teams tied 2-2 early before McPherson pulled away. The Bulldogs took the opening set 25-15 before using another early run to win 25-13 in the second.

Loyola had a much better start to the third period, building an early 6-1 lead before McPherson called a timeout. Caroline McKinney had two kills in that stretch, and Clarissa Dupree had one, while Lola Blancher served two aces before the timeout. The Pack held a 15-10 advantage midway through the set after kill contributions from Dupree, Isis Harink, Alexa Palmer, McKinney, Olivia Smith, and Mel Beachnau. McPherson then began to rally back, scoring six straight to take the lead at 16-15. Loyola regained the lead at 18-17, but the Bulldogs scored the final seven points of the match to close out the final set. 

Pack Facts

• Ellie Connor reached a new career high in assists in the five-set match against Oklahoma Wesleyan, finishing with a stat line of 29 assists and 10 digs. It was also her 10th career double-double. 

• Connor returned with team highs of 16 assists and 6 digs against McPherson. 

• Lola Blancher also notched a new career best with 28 digs, leading all players in the Oklahoma Wesleyan match. 

• Isis Harink led the Wolf Pack with 16 kills and seven blocks against Oklahoma Wesleyan. Her 16 kills were the most in any match by a Wolf Pack player this season.

• Caroline McKinney totaled 13 kills against Oklahoma Wesleyan and a team-high 10 against McPherson. She now has at least 10 kills in five straight matches.