The Basics

Game 1: Evangel 3, Bluefield 0 | Box Score

Game 2: Evangel 0, Loyola 3 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (1-1), Bluefield (0-2), Loyola (3-2)

Location: New Orleans, La. ("The Den")

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Valor Volleyball kicked off their season in Louisiana at the Wolf Pack Welcome on Friday, taking on the Rams of Bluefield and the Wolf Pack of Loyola. Despite long travel, the Valor came out firing in game one, but fell in game two, going 1-1 on the day.

The first match of the day saw Evangel sweep the Rams of Bluefield, 3-0, after a strong offensive showing for the Valor, as they hit .263 during the match.

An attacking error by the Rams, followed by a kill from Mackenzie Stoner got the scoring started for Evangel, as they took a 2-0 lead. The Valor were able to race out to an early 9-3 lead over Bluefield, after several attacking errors and a pair of blocks by Mallory Dick and Sharayah Seymour. The Rams used a timeout to stop the Valor run and fuel a run of their own, cutting their deficit to just a single point, 11-10. That would be the closest Bluefield came in set one, as Evangel was able to use strong attacks, taking a 25-17 win in set one. 

In set two, the Evangel attack could not be stopped. A game high .444 team attacking percentage helped push the Valor to a dominant set victory, 25-9, highlighted by multiple kills from Bella Wakley and a pair of back-to-back service aces from Jessica Pritchett.

In the third and final set, Evangel and Bluefield traded runs. The Valor opened on an 8-1 run, followed by a Rams 4-0 run, that was countered by an Evangel 5-1 run, where Pritchett again recorded a pair of back-to-back service aces. The early runs helped keep the Valor ahead to the point where their lead was never threatened, taking a 25-18 victory in the final set, earning the sweep of Bluefield.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bella Wakley finished with a team high nine kills.

• Leah Jackson led the team with 16 assists in the game.

• EU finished with a .263 attacking percentage, recording 36 kills.

• Jessica Pritchett finished with a team high five aces.

The second match of the day featured Evangel taking on the host school, Loyola. After a strong offensive attack in game one, the Valor could not get past the height of the Wolf Pack, falling in three straight sets after posting an attacking percentage of -.043.

In set one, Loyola pushed out to an early lead. Evangel was able to tie the set up on two separate occasions, on a Wakley kill and a Loyola attacking error, but with the score at 10-10, the Wolf Pack took advantage of their height, forcing EU into attacking errors and blocks, as the Valor fell, 25-17, in set one.

The Valor struggled to attack in set two, hitting at a -.111 attacking percentage. Every opportunity Evangel would have at making a run was met by Loyola's tough defense at the net, as EU fell 25-14, in set two.

In the final set, the Valor fought to try to stay with the Wolf Pack, but 11 attacking errors in the set hurt Evangel's chances at fueling a comeback, as they fell, 25-17, and were swept by a strong Loyola squad.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Vivianna Sanchez led the team with six kills against Loyola.

• Kenna Wise finished with 17 digs in the loss.

• Leah Jackson recorded 12 assists.

• Jackson also recorded Evangel's lone service ace of the match.

UP NEXT

Evangel will conclude the Wolf Pack Welcome with matches against Ave Maria and Michigan-Dearborn, beginning at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow in New Orleans, Louisiana.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.