BALTIMORE – Five Loyola University Maryland volleyball players had eight or more kills on Saturday, led by
Lauren Link's 18, and the Greyhounds posted a three-set win over the U.S. Naval Academy, 25-10, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16, in Reitz Arena.
The win clinched a berth in the Patriot League Championships for the Greyhounds (10-10 overall, 8-5 Patriot League), marking the fourth-straight time they will play in the postseason after a full regular-season.
Link's 18 kills led Loyola, which hit .300 in the match, and
Megan Bukala had 11 to go with four blocks.
Middle blockers
Adara Kellogg and
Cecylia Guye each had nine kills and combined for eight blocks. Kellogg had two solo blocks and was in on four others while she also hit .444 with just one error in 18 swings.
Sophie Brenner chipped in with eight kills, as well.
Ashley Dwyer passed out 43 assists, while
Katie Forsythe led all players with 22 digs.
Overall, Loyola had 63 digs eight total blocks, holding Navy to a .139 hitting percentage.
The Greyhounds led 10-7 in the first set after a Link kill for a sideout point, sending
Ashley Dwyer to the service line. She served 14-straight times as Loyola went on a 14-0 run to blow open the initial frame.
Navy came back to sneak out a win in the second set that featured seven tie scores, but in the third, Loyola turned a 10-9 deficit into a 13-11 lead after a Kellogg-Bukala block. Navy would side out with a Doris Nelson kill, but Loyola then tallied five of the next seven points to lead 18-13 on a
Rose McDermott ace.
Navy cut its deficit to two at 18-16, but it would not get closer for the remainder of the set.
The Midshipmen then scored the first point of the fourth as a Greyhounds attack attempt went into the net, but Link sided out with a kill, and Bukala had one on the next point, giving Loyola a lead it would not relinquish.
Saturday's win closed a five-match homestand for the Greyhounds, during which Loyola won four times. They will go on the road for a pair of contests next weekend, starting with a Friday, November 4, match at 7 p.m. against Lafayette College.
