PULASKI, Tenn. – UT Southern pushed Loyola University New Orleans in each set but came up short, falling 3–0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-22) in a Southern States Athletic Conference matchup Friday night at Curry Athletic Complex.
The Firehawks came out strong in the opening frame, taking a quick 3–0 lead behind kills from Amree Patterson and Emma Beardsley. Loyola responded with a 7–0 surge fueled by Isis Harink and Clarissa Dupree, swinging momentum to the visitors. Despite late kills from Jelleny Mallozzi and Ashlee Kraft, Loyola closed out the set 25–17.
Set two was a back-and-forth battle. UT Southern built a 17–15 lead after a block from Beardsley and a kill from Patterson. Loyola answered with a pair of service aces and late kills to flip the score and secure a 25–22 win.
In the third, the Firehawks showed resilience once again, rallying from down 17–11 to tie the frame 18–18 thanks to kills from Kraft, Mallozzi, and Irby Norris. However, Loyola's front line delivered in crunch time, finishing on a 7–4 run to claim the sweep, 25–22.
Key Turning Points
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Set 1: UT Southern's 3–0 start was erased by a 7–0 Loyola run, turning the tide early.
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Set 2: The Firehawks led 17–15 before Loyola stormed back with back-to-back aces to steal momentum late.
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Set 3: UTS tied the score 18–18 after a six-point rally, but Loyola answered with five of the last seven points to close it out.
UT Southern Leaders
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Ashlee Kraft: 8 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks, 9 points
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Jelleny Mallozzi: 8 kills on .600 hitting, 21 assists, 5 digs
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Emma Beardsley: 8 kills, 4 digs, 1 solo block, 9 points
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Irby Norris: 6 kills, 15 attacks
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Amree Patterson: 4 kills, 2 blocks
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Isabella Garza: 4 assists, 1 service ace, 4 digs
Team Stats Comparison
| Category |
UT Southern |
Loyola |
| Kills |
35 |
42 |
| Errors |
15 |
11 |
| Attacks |
86 |
83 |
| Hitting % |
.233 |
.373 |
| Assists |
27 |
37 |
| Service Aces |
1 |
8 |
| Service Errors |
10 |
12 |
| Reception Errors |
8 |
1 |
| Digs |
24 |
29 |
| Blocks (Solo+BA) |
5 |
10 |
| Points |
39.0 |
55.0 |
Team Attack by Set
| Set |
UT Southern K-E-TA (%) |
Loyola K-E-TA (%) |
| 1 |
11-7-29 (.138) |
14-2-22 (.545) |
| 2 |
10-6-25 (.160) |
12-6-31 (.194) |
| 3 |
14-2-32 (.375) |
16-3-30 (.433) |
Next Up
UT Southern (7–5, 3–4 SSAC) returns to action on Saturday, October 4, hosting William Carey in another conference clash at Curry Athletic Complex.
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