TOWSON, Md. – Loyola University Maryland sophomore libero Katie Forsythe became the fastest player to 1,000 career digs in both school and Patriot League history on Sunday when she logged her 15^th of a match-high 26 digs in a three-set win over NJIT.
 
The Greyhounds (7-7 overall) closed the Tiger Invitational, and their regular-season non-conference schedule, with a 25-22, 25-17, 25-15 victory over the Highlanders. Loyola opens its Patriot League schedule with a two-match swing to College of the Holy Cross and Colgate University on Friday and Saturday.
 
Forsythe posted her 15^th digs of the match in the second set Sunday, hitting the 1,000-dig plateau faster than any player in Patriot League or Loyola history. Sunday's match was just the 44^th of her career. Last year, she was named the conference's Libero and Rookie of the Year after setting the league and Loyola records with 697 digs. This season, through 14 matches, not yet halfway through her season, she has 314.
 
In addition to Forsythe's digs mark, Abby Hamilton hit .366 from the outside with 17 kills and only two errors to lead all players. Ann Ernst was close behind, posting a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs. Ashley Dwyer directed a Greyhounds' offense that hit .268 with 43 assists in only three sets.
 
The Highlanders led throughout the early-going of the first set, scoring the first four points and then maintaining a 12-10 lead. Loyola tied the score at 14-14 and again at 15-15, but a Dwyer service ace sparked a 3-1 run that saw the Greyhounds pull ahead by two.
 
Cecylia Guye later had a kill to make it 22-19, but Sarah Merritt had kills on two of the next three points for NJIT to tie the set for the fifth time, 22-22.
 
After a Loyola timeout, Hamilton sided out with a kill, and Adara Kellogg had a solo block to give the Greyhounds set-point, and they went up, 1-0, in the match with a NJIT attack error.
 
NJIT again led early in the second set, but down 10-8, Loyola scored six in a row to lead 14-10 on a Mackenzie Fedota kill. Ernst made it 16-11 moments later, but NJIT got back within two on three-straight points.
 
From there, however, the Greyhounds scored nine of the last 13 points in the set to win the second, 25-17 as Alaina Acchione capped the stanza with two-straight aces.
 
Loyola never trailed in the third after scoring the first three points to pull away easily for the win.