ARLINGTON, Texas – Mackenzie Fedota had a career-high nine blocks on Saturday, helping Loyola University Maryland push UT Arlington to a fourth set, but the host school pulled away for a 25-21, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20 victory in the Greyhounds' finale at the Maverick Classic.
 
Fedota led the Greyhounds' block effort as Loyola put down 13 against the Mavericks, a day after posting 12 in a three-set win over Binghamton University.
 
While Loyola's block was consistent throughout the match, hitting miscues stymied its effort in the first two sets. The Greyhounds hit -.042 combined in the first and second sets as the Mavericks (2-3 overall) pushed ahead to a lead in the contest.
 
The Greyhounds (3-3) came back to hit .118 in the third and .116 in the fourth, but a strong serve-receive game helped UT Arlington garner the win. The Mavericks had nine aces and only one receiving error in the match to supplement the fact they hit just .112 overall.
 
UT Arlington opened up a five-point lead, 13-8, early in the third set and looked headed for a sweep, but Loyola countered with nine of the next 13 points to knot the set at 17-17 on one of Ann Ernst's team-high 11 kills.
 
The Mavericks would go up momentarily, 18-17, but a UT Arlington service error and a Haley Puddy kill put the Greyhounds up for the first time since they led, 3-2. The Mavericks scored the next two points, but Loyola reeled off four of the next six points to go up 23-21 when Fedota and Puddy locked up a block.
 
Zhanelle Geathers had a kill to sideout for UT Arlington, getting the Mavericks within one, but a Abby Hamilton and Fedota block and a Geathers attack error put the set in the Greyhounds' column.
 
Loyola went ahead 14-13 on a Puddy kill in the fourth set, looking to extend the match to a deciding fifth, but UT Arlington scored the next three points, forcing a Greyhounds' timeout.
 
A Hamilton kill and a block by Fedota and Cat Vaccaro pulled Loyola within one, 17-16. The teams traded points to make it 18-17 Mavericks after an Ernst kill, but two in a row by UT Arlington made it at least a two-point margin for the rest of the set.
 
Ernst led Loyola with 11 kills, while Katie Forsythe had a match-high 25 digs. Molly Werts logged her sixth double-double in as many matches this season with 20 assists and 15 digs. Ernst also had 12 digs. In addition to Fedota's nine blocks, Hamilton, Puddy and Alisah Cash each had four.

Ernst and Forsythe were both named to the Maverick Classic All-Tournament Team. Forsythe averaged 6.18 digs per set in the tournament, while Ernst averaged 2.27 kills per set and also averaged 2.36 digs.
 
The Greyhounds return to Reitz Arena on Wednesday, September 5, for their next game. They will host Coppin State University at 7 p.m.