Wolf Pack now 12-15 overall and 6-6 following the loss.
The Loyola University New Orleans volleyball team had a tall task in front of them on Saturday as they welcomed the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC)-leading University of Mobile for a match at First NBC Court.
Despite the unfavorable odds, the Wolf Pack (12-15, 6-6 SSAC) started the match up 1-0 over the Rams (18-6, 11-1 SSAC) thanks to a 3-0 run to close out the frame. Despite their best effort to keep the momentum rolling, Loyola dropped the next three-straight sets to give the Rams the 3-1 (25-22,16-25,19-25,8-25) victory on the road.
With the score knotted at 22-22 in the opening set, a kill by Tylar Beckham (SO/New Orleans, La.) followed by a Rams error and an ace from Natavia Mitchell (SO/Austin, Texas) gave Loyola the 1-0 lead and the momentum heading into set two.
With the score tied at 12-12 in the second set, the visitors strung together a 9-2 run to grab the comfortable 21-14 advantage. A kill by Beatriz Agosto (FR/Miami, Fla.) would be the last point the Wolf Pack would score - dropping the second set 16-25 to knot the match at 1-1.
Kills from Malea Howie (FR/Greenwood, Ind.) and Beckham put Loyola up 2-0 to start the third frame. The Rams quickly answered with two points of their own to knot the set before two Mobile errors put the home team up 4-2. The two-point lead proved to be the biggest and the last for the Wolf Pack in the set as Mobile grabbed the third set 25-19 to shift the momentum in its favor.
The Rams used that momentum to dominate the fourth set 25-8 to claim the match at First NBC Court 3-1.
Loyola recorded a .023 (35-32-130) hitting percentage on Saturday with 27 assists, 49 digs and four blocks. Meanwhile, the Rams chalked up a hitting percentage of 0.291 (53-16-127) to go along with 49 assists, 50 digs and an impressive eight blocks in the victory.
Howie led the Wolf Pack with 19 kills on Saturday while Sunni Blanchard (FR/Pierre Part, La.) chipped in a team-high 16 assists off the bench. Elizabeth Scioneaux (JR/Reserve, La.), Katie Philippi (SR/Metairie, La.) and Kaitlynn Watson (FR/South Lake Tahoe, Ca.) each scooped up nine digs in the loss and Allison Hartmann (SO/Slidell, La.) added nine kills on 28 attempts.
Mobile featured three double-digit kill performers, led by Mirella Gatterdam and Hannah Buck's 15 a piece. Annie Kate Hudson gave out a team-high 24 helpers off the bench while Jessica Bagwell notched nine digs in the victory.
Loyola hits the road on Friday, Oct. 21, to take on SSAC foe Faulkner University at 7:00 p.m.
