UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Loyola University Maryland volleyball swept its season-opening match, beating Duquesne, 3-0, on Friday morning, and the Greyhounds then pushed West Virginia to a fifth set before falling in the final frame.
 
The Greyhounds finished the opening day of the Penn State Invitational with a 1-1 record. They will close the tournament on Saturday, August 27, with an 11 a.m. match against the host Nittany Lions.
 
Loyola 3, Duquesne 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) –
 
The Dukes took a 17-16 lead on an Anita Parrott kill in the first set, but the Greyhounds sided out and tied the set on a Duquesne service error. Adara Kellogg then had a pair of kills around one by Megan Bukala, and a Lauren Link swing went for a kill to put Loyola in front, 21-17.
 
Duquesne would get back within a point at 22-21, but another Kellogg kill gave Loyola a two-point cushion. The Dukes would side out two more times to make it a one-point game, but each time, Kacy Sekunda found Cecylia Guye for kills that gave Loyola the early set win.
 
Six-straight Loyola points in the second frame put the Greyhounds in front, 11-3, and a later 6-1 run would make it 17-6. Duquesne shortened the second-set gap to 23-19, but Kellogg and Sekunda had a block on set point to close the stanza.
 
Link led Loyola with 16 kills, and Bukala had 10 to go with Kellogg's nine. Guye posted a team-high five blocks, while Sekunda led all players with 44 assists, and Forsythe had 25 digs.
 
West Virginia 3, Loyola 2 (25-19, 20-25, 13-25, 15-8) –
 
The Mountaineers won the first set, but Loyola hit .355 in the second to even the match at 1-1. The Greyhounds' solid hitting continued in the third as they swung at a .417 clip with 14 kills and just four errors, and Loyola took advantage of the Mountaineers hitting a -.138 mark to lead the match 2-1.
 
Loyola led, 25-24, and had match-point to close out the fourth, but West Virginia scored on a Jordyn Schilling kill to extend the set. Bukala then had a kill for the Greyhounds to give them their second match-point opportunity, but the Mountaineers finished the set with the last three points to force a deciding fifth.
 
Link tallied a match-high 21 kills, while Guye and Caitlin Churney both had hitting percentages of .400 or higher. Guye posted 11 kills with a .429 hitting percentage, and Churney hit an even .400 with 10 kills.

Sekunda dished out 50 assists, while Forsythe had 17 digs and Rose McDermott logged a career-best 13.