BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland jumped out to a 10-1 first-set lead, and the Greyhounds went on to a 25-16, 25-23, 25-20 win over Army West Point on Friday night in Reitz Arena.
Lauren Link had a match-high 16 kills, and
Kacy Sekunda logged her third triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 15 assists and 10 digs, as Loyola knocked off the Black Knights who entered the match tied for first in the Patriot League.
After the Black Knights scored the match's first point,
Morgan Crawford sided out for the Greyhounds with a kill and then rotated back to serve. She served for nine more points, including one on a serve and three on Link kills, to give Loyola a 10-1 lead.
Sophie Brenner later made it 14-5 Loyola with a kill, but Army West Point scored six of the next seven to close within four, 15-11, after a Loyola attack error.
Kingsley Wallace had a kill two points later for the Black Knights to keep it at a four-point gap, 16-12, but
Caitlin Churney had a sideout kill, and Crawford recorded two aces in a row to put Loyola up seven, 19-12.
Crawford entered the match with five service aces this season, but she equaled that number on Friday night.
Army West Point led for much of the second set, and the Black Knights were up three, 20-17, after a Loyola ball-handling error.
The Greyhounds sided out with a Black Knights service error, and they went on a 7-2 run to go up 24-22. Sekunda finished the set a point later with a cross-court kill to give Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match.
Army West Point tied the third set at 18-18 with an Alyssa Lukasik kill, but Loyola came back with the next four points, punctuated by a Crawford ace at 22-18.
The Greyhounds hit .159 to Army West Point's .084 with Link's 16 kills leading the way.
Bryanne Soares had a match-high 23 assists with Sekunda adding 15.
Defensively, Loyola had 68 digs with five players posting 10 or more.
Rose McDermott picked up 18 digs, Crawford and Link each had 13, Soares posted 11, and Sekunda had 10.
The Greyhounds play their final home match of the 2023 season on Saturday when they host Colgate University at 4 p.m.
