Wolf Pack sweeps Faulkner Saturday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team continued Southern States Athletic Conference play in The Den on Saturday, defeating Faulkner University in three sets. The Wolf Pack (18-7, 7-3 in SSAC) will stay in New Orleans for its next matchup, when Loyola visits crosstown rival, Xavier (La.), on Wednesday, at 6 p.m. for a non-conference contest. 
 

After the Eagles took a lead to start the match, kills by Isis Harink, Alexa Palmer, and Clarissa Dupree, each assisted by Ellie Connor, tied the match at 4-4. After Faulkner went ahead by one, Dupree, Harink, and Samantha Guillotte found the floor with Lola Blancher serving an ace to put the Pack up by five, 10-5. Ivana De Carvalho Peixe notched a kill, then combined for a block with Katy Hollingsworth, 12-6. After another Peixe kill, Palmer found the floor twice more to stretch the lead, 16-8. Loyola closed out the first set, scoring eight straight. The run included two pairs of kills by Dupree and Harink, along with errors by the Eagles, giving Loyola a first-set win by a dozen, 25-13.
 

After Palmer scored the first point of the second set for the Pack, Belén Puche Laguna earned an ace, 2-1. After Faulkner found a lead, 8-7, Palmer, Dupree, and Connor found the floor, assisted by Kala Emanuelli, pushed Loyola ahead, 10-9. Loyola pulled away from there, remaining in the lead to finish another dominant set, 25-18. 
 

Zoe Barnes found the floor for the Wolf Pack to start the third set, 1-0. After Faulkner made it 8-8, a Hollingsworth kill in addition to two Eagle errors broke the tie, 11-8. The Wolf Pack took off from that point to win the conference matchup easily. Palmer and Barnes each collected two kills down the stretch, while Harink added three more to her team-high 13 kills. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola has now won the last 10 matchups with the Lady Eagles. 

• Isis Harink led the Wolf Pack in attack with 13 kills while hitting .394 and adding two blocks. Overall this weekend, she had 25 kills, over 3.5 kills per set, with a hitting percentage of .512. 

• Alexa Palmer put together one of her most efficient performances of the season, finishing with 11 kills in just 16 attempts with only one error, a team-high hitting percentage of .625. She combined for 26 kills between the two matches this weekend while hitting .500. 

• After 23 assists Friday night, Ellie Connor racked up a match-high 22 assists in Saturday's contest, her most in a three-setter this year. 

• Belén Puche Laguna finished with 15 assists, two digs, and an ace. 

• The conference's leader in total digs this season, Kala Emanuelli logged 20 digs in Saturday's match and had 45 between the two matches this weekend. 

• Ivana De Carvalho Peixe (.455) and Clarissa Dupree (.364) both had five kills in 11 attempts, with only one attacking error between the two. 

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