A crowd of over 250 people gathered in The Den Tuesday night to show their support for the women’s volleyball team as they defeated Millsaps College three sets to one.
Millsaps began the game with the ball, but Loyola managed to get the first point of the match. Mary Seals, accounting senior, kept the ball for Loyola with a kill.
Sarah Howard, marketing senior was able to remain consistent and gave the ‘Pack a 17-14 lead.
Howard won the first set for Loyola with a kill with a final score of 25-20.
The second set didn’t go the way the ‘Pack planned. They played catch up for most of the set. Down 14-13, Gina Gill, general studies freshman, tied the game with a kill. Then down 19-17, Seals got three kills in a row to put them up by one, 20-19.
Loyola, however, lost the set 25-22.
During the third set, the ‘Pack showed some energy as they scored the first point. Then, with the game tied at two, Seals’ kill gave them a one-point lead. The same happened when the game was tied at three.
Later in the game, with Loyola up 13-12, the ‘Pack went on a nine point run, giving them a comfortable 10 point lead, 22-12. Loyola went on to win that set comfortably, 25-15.
Amanda Oldani, marketing freshman, opened the fourth set, helping them get the first point. Millsaps came back to make it a one point game. Seals ended their run with a kill.
“I was honored to be given the opportunity to play that much. I was a little nervous going into the game because it was my first college match and first home game as well, now I will know what to expect for my next game,” Oldani said.
Stacy Kersten, mass communication senior, sealed the victory for the ‘Pack, serving an ace and giving the team a 25-11 victory.
Keelyn Henderson, international business senior, said she was very excited to get the win. “The crowd was phenomenal and really helped us get the win,” Henderson said.
According to Henderson, the victory was important because it allowed the freshmen players to get some experience, and after seeing the outcome of the game said “there is nowhere to go but up and keep working hard every day little by little.”
Millsaps coach Jaime Burns admitted her team didn’t do their best. “My team pretty much fell apart. No energy, no enthusiasm to be here,” Burns said. As for her team’s second set victory, she said, “Well, even there we weren’t playing Millsaps volleyball. I think Loyola was making the errors there and put us at a good position, but at no point did we earn it.”
On the other side of the court, Loyola coach Tommy Harold, was pleased to get this victory. “I was happy with the win. There’s a couple of things we need to work on, but after coming back after a week and seeing the steady play was good to see,” Harold said.
Loyola’s next game is September 16 at Belhaven College in Jackson, Miss. Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected].
