Loyola Volleyball Falls to Army West Point in Four-Set Patriot League Opener

Loyola University Maryland women’s volleyball came within two points of forcing a decisive fifth set Friday night, but Army West Point rallied late to defeat the Greyhounds in four sets, 25-22, 23-25, 25-13, 25-23, at Gillis Field House in West Point, New York.

The Greyhounds held a 23-21 advantage late in the fourth set before Army scored the final four points to secure the match. The loss dropped Loyola to 3-7 overall and 0-1 in Patriot League play, while Army improved to 7-3 overall and 1-0 in conference competition.

Loyola received 11 kills from Morgan Crawford, while Ava Nepkin finished with eight and Sydnee Peters contributed seven. Addie Huber anchored the Greyhounds defensively with a match-high 19 digs, and Madison Monahan distributed 21 assists.

Army Takes Opening Set

The Black Knights established their attack early but had to battle Loyola throughout the first set.

Army eventually took the opener 25-22. The Black Knights recorded 17 kills in the set compared with eight for Loyola, although nine Army attacking errors helped the Greyhounds remain within striking distance.

Loyola hit .147 in the opening frame with eight kills and three errors on 34 attacks. Army finished at .178 after producing 17 kills on 45 attempts.

Despite Army’s advantage offensively, Loyola kept the set competitive and demonstrated early that the Greyhounds would not make their first Patriot League road match easy.

Greyhounds Answer in Second Set

Loyola responded with its best offensive set of the night.

The Greyhounds recorded 14 kills with only three attacking errors on 34 attempts, producing a .324 hitting percentage. Army was nearly as efficient, hitting .316 with 15 kills, but Loyola did enough down the stretch to take the set 25-23 and even the match at one set apiece.

The second set provided an encouraging response after Loyola dropped the opener. Rather than allowing Army to build momentum on its home floor, the Greyhounds improved their execution and turned the match into a best-of-three-set battle.

Army Controls Third Set

Momentum shifted dramatically after intermission.

Army produced its best offensive performance of the match during the third set, hitting .435 with 12 kills and only two errors on 23 attempts. Loyola, meanwhile, struggled to generate consistent offense.

The Greyhounds recorded four kills with five errors on 22 attacks, finishing the set with a negative-.045 hitting percentage. Army capitalized and rolled to a 25-13 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

It was the only set of the night that was not decided by three points or fewer.

Loyola nevertheless regrouped for the fourth and nearly extended the match.

Loyola Comes Within Two Points of Fifth Set

The fourth set developed into the most dramatic stretch of the night.

Loyola remained within striking distance before a block by Elsie Afful and Nepkin gave the Greyhounds a 22-20 advantage. Army’s Michelle Parker answered with a kill to make it 22-21, but an Army service error immediately returned possession and the two-point advantage to Loyola.

The Greyhounds were suddenly ahead 23-21 and needed only two more points to force a fifth set.

They would not get them.

A Loyola attack error cut the lead to 23-22 before Corrine Blackburn recorded a kill to tie the set. Loyola called timeout with the score tied 23-23, attempting to stop Army’s momentum.

Coming out of the timeout, Janie Deapen and Blackburn combined for a block that moved the Black Knights to match point. Another Loyola attack error then ended the contest.

Army had scored four consecutive points, turning Loyola’s 23-21 advantage into a 25-23 victory.

Crawford Leads Loyola Attack

Crawford paced the Greyhounds with 11 kills while also contributing 12 digs and two service aces. She was Loyola’s only player to reach double figures in kills.

Nepkin provided a versatile performance with eight kills, seven digs, two blocks and two assists. Peters recorded seven kills, while Mariah Sanabia finished with five.

Afful led Loyola at the net with five blocks.

Huber was particularly productive from the service line and back row. In addition to her match-high 19 digs, she recorded four of Loyola’s nine service aces.

Monahan led the setting effort with 21 assists and added two aces. Gabi Verdicchio recorded another 14 assists and one ace.

Army’s Balanced Attack Makes the Difference

One of the biggest differences between the teams was Army’s offensive balance.

Four Black Knights reached double figures in kills. Parker and Marlee Lightsey each recorded 13, Kennedy Jones finished with 11 and Blackburn added 10. Juliette Myrick distributed 27 assists, while Naomi Chinchar contributed 22.

Army finished with 58 kills compared with Loyola’s 39 and hit .269 for the match. The Greyhounds finished at .167.

Loyola committed slightly fewer attacking errors, 18 to Army’s 19, but the Black Knights generated 19 more kills. Army also recorded 11 service aces compared with nine for Loyola.

The Greyhounds totaled 58 digs and six team blocks. Army recorded 57 digs and seven blocks.

The statistics reflected how competitive portions of the match were. Loyola was separated from Army by only three points in the first set, won the second by two and came within two points of winning the fourth.

Army’s dominant third set ultimately created the biggest separation.

Patriot League Play Begins

Friday represented the beginning of Loyola’s 13th season competing in the Patriot League.

The result was not what the Greyhounds wanted, but Loyola showed an ability to compete with the Black Knights on the road. The second-set victory and 23-21 fourth-set lead gave Loyola legitimate opportunities to change the direction of the match.

Finishing those opportunities will become increasingly important as the conference schedule continues.

The Greyhounds entered Patriot League competition following a difficult nonconference stretch. Their early season has included matches against James Madison, Towson, Morgan State, Saint Peter’s, George Washington, Georgetown and George Mason.

MSB Take

Loyola was much closer to forcing a fifth set than the 3-1 final might suggest.

The fourth set will be the frustrating part for the Greyhounds. Loyola had a 23-21 lead and needed only two points to send the match to a fifth set, but Army responded with four straight. In a conference match on the road, those final few points often determine the result.

There were still positives for Loyola. Crawford provided production on both offense and defense, Huber had 19 digs and four aces, and the Greyhounds hit an impressive .324 while winning the second set.

The biggest concern was consistency. Loyola went from hitting .324 in the second set to negative-.045 in the third. Army took advantage of that drop and dominated the third set before Loyola recovered in the fourth.

Loyola proved it could play competitive volleyball against Army. The next step is turning stretches like the second set and most of the fourth into complete matches.

The Patriot League schedule is just beginning, and Friday’s match gave the Greyhounds a clear picture of how small the margin can be in conference play.