PREVIEW: Wolf Pack opens SSAC Championship play Thursday

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack will begin the 2025 Southern States Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship on Thursday. Loyola will be the second overall seed in the tournament with a 12-4 record in SSAC matches this season. 
 

The top eight teams in the conference are split into two pools in the tournament, with pool play taking place from Thursday, November 13, through Friday, November 14. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals, which will be played after the conclusion of pool play on Friday at 5:30 p.m.. The championship is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. 
 

Loyola will be the top seed in Pool B, joining No. 3 seed William Carey, No. 6 seed Point, and No. 7 seed Life. The Pack went 5-1 against those teams in the regular season, only dropping one matchup in Hattiesburg in September at Carey. SSAC regular season champion Mobile leads Pool A, where they will be paired with Blue Mountain, UT Southern, and Faulkner. 
 

In his first season at the helm, Robert Pitre has guided the Wolf Pack to a 24-8 overall record, the best debut season by any head coach in program history. 
 

Freshman middle Isis Harink has led the Wolf Pack at the net this year, hitting above .300 heading into the conference tournament, a percentage that ranks fourth in the SSAC. She also leads the team with 284 kills at 2.5 kills per set and 100 total blocks. Junior Alexa Palmer has posted career highs across the board: 245 kills, 2.3 kills per set, and a .264 hitting percentage. 
 

Graduate student Ivana De Carvalho Peixe has totaled 211 kills while hitting .246. Samantha Guillotte is close behind with 194 kills and a .234 percentage, and her late-season surge has pushed her to 2.3 kills per set. Sophomore Clarissa Dupree (194 kills, 1.9 per set) makes it five Loyola attackers hitting over .200 this season, as her efficient second half of the schedule has her attacking at .227 for the year. Senior Katy Hollingsworth is second on the team in blocks with 79, adding 106 kills as well. 
 

Both Wolf Pack starting setters have turned in strong 2025 campaigns. Belén Puche Laguna has totaled 565 assists at over five assists per set. She's also continued to lead the entire NAIA this season with 77 total service aces. Ellie Connor is also over 500 assists this season with 506, currently averaging 4.6 assists per set. She also has served 29 aces. 
 

The back line of defense, anchored by senior libero Kala Emanuelli, has been one of Loyola's strengths this season. Emanuelli is averaging nearly five digs per set, and her season total of 549 digs ranks in the top 10 in program history. She's also in the top 15 in the NAIA in service aces with 61. Senior Juliet Petruzelli has added 50 service aces and 158 digs this year, and freshman Lola Blancher has contributed over 200 digs with 41 aces. 
 

Loyola is seeking its first SSAC tournament championship. A conference title would also qualify the Pack for the NAIA National Championship, where the team last made an appearance in 2023 as an at-large participant. 
 

SSAC Championship Schedule

WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
 

Pool A: #1 Mobile, #4 Blue Mountain, #5 UT Southern, #8 Faulkner
Pool B: #2 Loyola, #3 William Carey, #6 Point, #7 Life
 

Day 1 | Nov. 13
9:00 | Court 1 | No. 1 Mobile v. No. 5 UT Southern
9:00 | Court 2 | No. 2 Loyola v. No. 6 Point
11:30 | Court 1 | No. 4 Blue Mountain v. No. 8 Faulkner
11:30 | Court 2 | No. 3 William Carey v. No. 7 Life
2:00 | Court 1 | No. 5 UT Southern v. No. 8 Faulkner 
2:00 | Court 2 | No. 6 Point v. No. 7 Life
4:30 | Court 1 | No. 1 Mobile v. No. 4 Blue Mountain
4:30 | Court 2 | No. 2 Loyola v. No. 3 William Carey
 

Day 2 | Nov. 14
11:00 | Court 1 | No. 1 Mobile v. No. 8 Faulkner
11:00 | Court 2 | No. 2 Loyola v. No. 7 Life
1:30 | Court 1 | No. 4 Blue Mountain v. No. 5 UT Southern
1:30 | Court 2 | No. 3 William Carey v. No. 6 Point
5:30 | Court 1 | Semifinal | Pool A #1 v. Pool B #2
5:30 | Court 2 | Semifinal | Pool B #1 v. Pool A #2

Day 3 | Nov. 15
2:00 | Court 1 | Championship
 

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