Oct. 11, 2008

Baltimore, Md. - Winning on the road in the MAAC is always a difficult challenge, and that proved to be the case for the Loyola volleyball team on Saturday, which fell in three consecutive sets to St. Peter's, 19-25, 16-25 and 13-25 at the Yanitelli Center. With the loss, the Greyhounds drop to 4-16 (1-7 MAAC), while the Peahens used home-court advantage to push their record to 8-11 (4-3 MAAC).

Loyola allowed St. Peter's to hit .306 for the match while only hitting .106 as a team. The Greyhounds were also out-killed, 40-26. The Peahens committed just 10 team errors; Loyola had 16.

Sophomore outside-hitter Nina Camaioni led her team with seven kills and nine points. Rachel Schillinger and Stasia Collins contributed with five kills apiece. On the defensive side, sophomore Libero Brittany Born managed a team-high 12 digs, while Kristen Muscarella pitched in with eight digs and Nina Camaioni contributed seven.

In the first set, Loyola found themselves down just one, 18-17, after a St. Peter's error and a kill by Loyola blocker Karlee Woodward. The Peahens, however, rallied off six of the next seven points to take a 24-18 lead. After a Schillinger kill, a Loyola serving miscue gave St. Peter's the first set, 25-19.

Loyola hit a match-best .269 in the second set, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough as St. Peter's responded by hitting a stunning .708 in the set, thanks in part to 17 kills with no errors.

Up 16-13 in the second, St. Peter's closed out the contest with seven kills and two service errors to claim the set, 25-16. After heading into the locker room down 2-0, the Greyhounds showed their resiliency in the third, battling back-and-forth with the Peahens. Loyola was more efficient in the third, hitting .167 to St. Peter's .158, but it wasn't enough to get the `Hounds a victory.

Finding itself down 8-11 in the middle of the frame, Loyola ripped off five consecutive points - four of them kills--to take a 13-11 lead. The Peahens responded with a five-point rally of their own just minutes though, and took a 19-15 advantage. Holding a 24-20 lead, St. Peter's looked on the verge of clinching the match. The `Hounds showed their fight, though, rallying for three straight points. A kill by St. Peter's Stephanie Phllips put the match away, 25-23.

Loyola continues its road trip tomorrow as it heads to Fairfield, Conn. to battle Fairfield. Match-time is scheduled for 2 p.m.