BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland held leads in all three sets, but La Salle University overcame deficits in each to post a 25-19, 25-22, 27-25 non-conference victory over the Greyhounds in Reitz Arena on Thursday night.
 
Loyola built a 12-9 lead early in the first set only to see the Explorers (6-4 overall) score nine of 10 points to go up 18-13 on a Jensen Sharrits service ace. Loyola battled back to close the gap to four on two occasions, but La Salle took a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The second set featured 15 tie scores and seven lead changes with Loyola going up 20-18 with two-straight points. Cat Vaccaro and Mackenzie Fedota locked up one of Loyola's 12 blocks to put the Greyhounds ahead by one, and a Fedota kill forced a La Salle timeout with the Explorers trailing by a pair.
 
La Salle came out of the break and scored four in a row with Catherine Edgington putting the Explorers up 22-20 on a kill.
 
Ann Ernst had one of her match-high 14 kills to sideout for Loyola, and Alisah Cash worked with Vaccaro for a block to tie the set at 22-22. La Salle, however, scored the last three points of the match to go into the break up two.
 
Cash's block at 22-22 was one of her career-high nine in the match, topping her previous best of eight in two matches earlier this season.
 
Loyola led the third set by four, 18-14, after a Fedota kill, but La Salle scored six of the next seven points to take a 20-19 lead on an Elizabeth Osborn kill. Ernst again sided out for Loyola, and Abby Hamilton had a kill for the Greyhounds to put them back up a point, but the Explorers sided out to tie at 21-21.
 
Hamilton scored on another kill, but La Salle answered with another sideout only to see the Greyhounds lead 23-22 after an Edgington attack error. Devin Corah had a La Salle kill to even the match again, but Vaccaro went cross-court for a Loyola sideout, giving the Greyhounds set-point.
 
La Salle fended that off with a Loyola service error, and they eventually put the match away with a third-set win.
 
In addition to Ernst's 14 kills, Hamilton had eight, while Cash and Fedota each added five. Katie Forsythe led all players with 14 digs, as Hamilton tallied 14 and Ernst had 12.
 
Loyola will be back in action Saturday, September 15, when it plays at Georgetown University in a 7 p.m. contest.