EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette defeated Loyola on Friday at Kirby Sports Center, taking three straight sets to beat its Patriot League foe. Outside hitters Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo and Carol Ulichney recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively to pace the Leopards. Senior Abby Nicholson tallied three and a half blocks while notching a .636 hitting percentage.

The Leopards jumped out to a 11-9 lead in the opening set before Loyola's Morgan Crawford knocked down a kill. With the score sitting at 11-10, the Maroon and White rattled off seven-straight points for a 18-10 advantage. In the midst of the run, Nicholson racked up two of her seven kills for the match. The Greyhounds attempted to make a push towards the end of the set, with a pair of kills from Crawford and another from Addie Huber. The Leopards took the set one 25-18 courtesy of a service ace from Huber.

Loyola gained a 7-5 lead in the second set, capitalizing on six Lafayette errors. The Leopards responded with a series of 10 consecutive points, swinging a 15-7 score in its favor. Nicholson, Mbeche-Odhiambo and Ulichney recorded the first three points of the run via kill. The Greyhounds rallied down the stretch, cutting the advantage to 23-21 with the help of a short three-point spurt. Freshman Jada Aksu slapped down a kill to push Lafayette to set point, allowing Hannah Ehrich-Pollock to record a kill for a 25-21 victory in set two.

The Maroon and White comfortably secured a 25-18 win in the third and final set to complete the sweep. In the last set, Destiny McKenzie led the team with five points, racking up five kills. Setters Sophia Wilson and Mackenzie Calhoun tallied five assists each. Two of the Leopards' eight blocks came in set three.

Lafayette next welcomes Navy to Kirby Sports Center on Saturday at 6 p.m.


To keep up with the Lafayette volleyball team, follow its social media pages.

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