The weekend of Nov. 2 and 3 was a big weekend for Loyola volleyball. The Greyhounds found themselves on the road with two must-win games against Holy Cross and Army West Point in order to make it to the Patriot League tournament. The Hounds were able to make their weekend undefeated with a quick win over Holy Cross in three sets and a hard-fought win over Army West Point in five sets.
The first game of the weekend was against Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. The first set of the match was close with an end score of 30-28. The next two games were handled more comfortably with scores of 25-21 and 25-20.
Ann Ernst ‘20 led the Greyhounds with 13 kills, followed by Abby Hamilton ‘22 with 11 and then Haley Puddy ‘19 with seven. Puddy had a .778 hitting percentage, which led the team offensively.
It was a big game for the offense; however, the star of the Greyhounds’ defense had a stellar night. Katie Forsythe ‘22 has had a record setting year. Each weekend seems to come with another headline of hers, and this weekend was no exception. With her 14th dig against Holy Cross, Forsythe brought her season total to 613, which is one more than Bucknell University’s Kristen Sydlowski had during the 2006 season. Forsythe is now the Patriot League record-holder for most digs in a single season.
After a stunning win in Massachusetts, the Hounds traveled to New York for a nail-biter against Army West Point. The game was a long but exciting match as the Black Knights took the Greyhounds to five sets. The scores were: 25-22, 17-25, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-13.
The game was intense through every point, and it was a true battle. Ernst led the team with 18 kills, followed by Puddy with 11 and then Cat Vaccaro ‘22 with 10. Molly Jarvis ‘20 had a great offensive match with eight kills and not a single hitting error on 16 attempts. Forsythe led the team in digs with 23, followed by Hamilton with 12 and then Alaina Acchione ‘21 with 10.
More than just statistics, though, the game was fast-paced and was full of plays. In the middle of the fourth set when Loyola led 11-8, Acchione stuck her arm out for a dig against a West Point attack. Ernst covered her teammate and chased the ball toward the bleachers, getting the ball up with only one hand. Puddy then followed Ernst and ran up on the bleachers to make the save. Jarvis sealed the point with a solid block, and the Hounds went up 12-8. It was a huge momentum swing, and the Hounds never looked back. The stunning play even earned honors on NCAA Volleyball’s Top 3 Play of the Week.
Loyola’s volleyball team only has two more regular season games left, and there are no guarantees with who will have a spot in the Patriot League tournament. The Greyhounds will be on the road again against Bucknell on Nov. 10 and then Colgate on Nov. 11.
Feature image courtesy of Craig Chase
