Loyola claims non-conference win over Dillard Wednesday

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team took a break from Southern States Athletic Conference play to host crosstown rival Dillard University on Wednesday. The Wolf Pack handed the Bleu Devils a three-set loss to improve their record to 14-5. 
 

Loyola (4-1 in SSAC play) will resume its league schedule this weekend when it travels to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to take on William Carey at 11 a.m. The Pack will also play a non-league match against Louisiana Christian at 1 p.m.
 

Isis Harink put the Pack on the board in the first set with a kill, assisted by Belén Puche Laguna. Harink found the floor twice more to tie the match, 3-3. The Maroon and Gold score four more to take a 7-3 advantage, including two kills from Harink and Ivana De Carvalho Peixe and an ace by Kala Emanuelli. 
 

With the Pack up 9-5, Samantha Guillotte and Alexa Palmer got back-to-back kills just before Juliet Petruzelli served an ace, 13-5. After a Dillard timeout, Palmer found the floor with an assist from Ellie Connor. Then, Petruzelli added her second ace of the match, 16-5. From there, Loyola cruised to a first-set win in dominant fashion, including two kills each from Harink and Guillotte, 25-14.
 

Loyola had another hot start in the second set, beginning with kills from Palmer, Harink, and Peixe. After the NAIA's service ace leader in Laguna added another to her total, Clarissa Dupree found the floor to put the Pack ahead, 10-2. After Dillard got within six, 12-6, kills by Guillotte and Emanuelli, then another ace from Petruzelli extended the lead, 19-7. A good set by Connor helped get Katy Hollingsworth her first two kills of the night, 22-8. Harink collected her eighth kill of the match, then Dupree scored back-to-back kills to end the second set, 25-9.
 

The Bleu Devils began the third set with a lead, 5-2, but the Pack fought back in the early going. A kill by Harink, added by a pair of kills from Peixe, then an Emaneulli ace, put the Pack ahead by one, 6-5. Once again, Dillard got back in front, 10-9, but a kill by Hollingsworth tied the match before Lily Clemmer-Gillum and Dupree found the floor to take a 12-11 advantage. The Pack closed things out from there to secure the crosstown matchup, 25-15.
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola kept Dillard at a negative hitting percentage for most of the match, with the Bleu Devils finishing at -.050 for the match. It's the lowest hitting percentage for an opponent since October 23, 2021, when Middle Georgia hit -.108 in a match. 

• The Wolf Pack's final hitting percentage of .260 was the team's fifth best mark in any match this season. 

• Isis Harink led the Wolf Pack attack, racking up nine kills, six of which came in the first set, with just one error (.381) in 21 attempts. She also led the team with four blocks. 

• Ivana De Carvalho Peixe had no attacking errors en route to a .389 hitting percentage on seven kills. 

• Both Belén Puche Laguna and Ellie Connor got to double digits in assists in the three setter, with Puche at 16 and Connor at 13. 

• Kala Emanuelli led the way defensively with 14 digs, plus two service aces.

• Juliet Petruzelli's three aces led all players in the match. 

• After tonight's match, Loyola now has three players in the top 25 in total service aces in the NAIA. Puche's 54 aces continue to lead all NAIA players. Emanuelli is now in a tie for 11th with 34 aces, and Petruzelli is tied for 21 with 32 aces. Emanuelli also ranked in the top 10 in total digs with 330. 

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