DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Loras College women's volleyball team put together a dominant performance Thursday evening, sweeping Alverno College 3-0 inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.
Loras wasted little time taking control in the opening set. Isabel Hart opened the match at the service line and helped the Duhawks race out to a 6-0 advantage, recording three aces during the run while Cat Meyer added a pair of kills. The Duhawks later used another Hart service run to extend their lead to 24-10 before Meyer closed out the 25-12 victory with a kill.
After falling behind 2-0 to begin the second set, Loras quickly answered behind a kill from Kyra Kuehn and consecutive kills from Alyssa Purvis to take a 5-2 advantage. The Duhawks later received back-to-back service aces from Alyssa Daughenbaugh as part of a four-point run that pushed the lead to 11-6. With Loras ahead 12-8, Cydney Tath took over at the service line and sparked a 10-0 run. Tath recorded four aces during the stretch, while Meyer added three kills and McKenna Carroll chipped in another as the Duhawks pulled away. Carroll later delivered an ace before Iva Senio finished the 25-9 set with a kill.
The Duhawks carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead behind Hart's serving. Hart recorded two aces during the opening run, while Kuehn supplied three kills and Meyer and Purvis each added one. Jaylyn Schwartz later contributed an ace and Tath added a kill to stretch the advantage to 12-3. Carroll recorded a pair of kills as Loras moved in front 16-6, and Emily Mohr and Sedona Paprocki each added kills to help the Duhawks build a 20-11 advantage.
Alverno responded with seven consecutive points to trim the Loras lead to 20-18, but the Duhawks regained control down the stretch. Paprocki delivered back-to-back service aces to make it 23-18 before Tath put Loras at match point with a kill. Leah McAndrews then closed out the sweep with the final kill of the 25-19 third-set victory.
Meyer led the Loras attack with 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, adding three aces and eight digs. Hart directed the offense with 24 assists and was outstanding from the service line, recording a match-high seven aces without a error. Tath added six kills, six digs and four aces, while Kyra Kuehn contributed six kills on a .308 hitting percentage.
Serving proved to be a major difference throughout the night, as the Duhawks finished with 21 service aces, a season high, compared to just one for Alverno. Loras also totaled 44 digs and four blocks in the victory.
Up Next: The Duhawks will travel to La Crosse, Wis. for the UW-La Crosse Triangular on Saturday, Sept. 26. Loras will take on Edgewood University at 2 p.m. before facing off against UW-La Crosse at 4 p.m.
