BALTIMORE – Lauren Link had a career-high 23 kills, hitting .465 with just three errors on Tuesday night, as Loyola University Maryland rallied late in all three sets to beat American University in three, 25-22, 27-25, 25-22 in Patriot League play in Reitz Arena.
 
The win was the Greyhounds' second over the 16-time Patriot League Champion Eagles since 1992; last season, Loyola snapped a 28-game losing stream in the series.
 
Tuesday night, the Greyhounds (13-4 overall, 5-1 Patriot League) played from behind throughout the contest, but they did so effectively while holding American to a .116 hitting percentage.
 
In the first set, Loyola trailed 19-17 after a service error before stringing together five-straight points to lead 22-19 on an Abby Hamilton kill.
 
The hole was deeper in the second set as American scored the stanza's first seven points and were up 18-11 later in the frame. Loyola got within three, 20-17, but the Eagles scored the next two points to lead by five on a Inbal Peleg-Carlie Fikse block only to see the Greyhounds reel off the next five points to tie the set at 22-22.
 
American then had set-point opportunity at 25-24 on a Zeynep Uzen kill, but Kacy Sekunda kept feeing Link who put away three in a row to tie, take the lead and win the set for the Greyhounds.
 
Loyola took an early lead in the third, going up 11-6 on a Link kill, but nine of the next 13 points went to American as it built a 15-13 lead.
 
The Greyhounds called a timeout and scored two in a row, tying the score at 15-15 on a Caitlin Churney-Adara Kellogg block, but American soon was up a pair, 21-19 after one of Uzen's 24 kills.
 
Kellogg sided out on a kill to get Loyola within one, and she was then in on three-straight blocks – first with Churney and then twice with Hamilton – to put Loyola in front for good.
 
Hamilton had nine kills for the Greyhounds, while Kacy Sekunda posted 38 assists and 10 digs. Kellogg was in on seven of Loyola's nine blocks in the match.
 
Katie Forsythe led Loyola with 24 digs and three service aces, while Hamilton and Corinne Filograna had 15 and 13 digs, respectively. Link also had a double-double with 10 digs.
 
Loyola head on the road for its next two Patriot League matches, playing at Colgate on Friday night before heading to Bucknell Saturday.