BALTIMORE, Md. - Lafayette traveled to Loyola Md. on Saturday and was dealt a 3-1 final by the Greyhounds.
Junior Auma Mbeche-Odhiambo racked up a match-high 19 kills. The Houston, Texas native previously reached the 19-spike mark earlier this season against Holy Cross. Setter Mackenzie Calhoun notched 23 assists and three of the Leopards' seven service aces. Defensively, Alyssa Chu and Justine Puig were responsible for 17 and 12 digs, respectively. The Maroon and White recorded six total blocks, with freshman Johanna Groger leading the squad with six block assists.
Loyola jumped out to a 1-0 set lead after taking the first stanza, 25-16. The Greyhounds hit .378 and slapped down 18 kills. Loyola's Ava Nepkin knocked down six of her 15 kills in the period. The Leopards (.235 hitting percentage) tallied 11 spikes, with Mbeche-Odhiambo accounting for six.
In the second set, Lafayette held a 15-14 advantage, but the hosts responded by capturing five of the following six points to take a 19-16 lead. Shortly after, the Greyhounds were searching for the match point (24-21). Lafayette tied the set with a three-point spurt that featured a kill from Groger and Puig (24-24). Towards the end, both squads had 27 points each until back-to-back kills from Destiny McKenzie and Calhoun granted the Leopards a 29-27 set two win.
After an early 13-6 deficit in the third period, the Maroon and White ripped off a seven-point run to tie the contest at 13. During the stretch, Calhoun recorded two service aces, while McKenzie and Grace Jamison each added a kill. Loyola collected a 19-16 advantage before Lafayette rattled off a three-point spurt to knot the score again (19-19). The Leopards tallied two straight scores at the end of the set for a 24-23 lead, but the hosts countered with three-straight points to win set three, 26-24.
The Greyhounds won the fourth and final set, 25-21 and the match, 3-1. Nepkin notched five more spikes, followed by Morgan Crawford (4) and Sydnee Peters (4). For Lafayette, Mbeche-Odhiambo slapped down four balls for scores, while Noa Kamphuis and Groger collected three and two kills, respectively. Freshman LK LaMonica led the Leopards in assists during the period, with six.
Lafayette returns to College Hill on Oct. 23, hosting rival Lehigh at 7 p.m. for its faculty mentor game.
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