DUBUQUE, Iowa - Beloit College showed flashes of early momentum in all three sets, but Loras answered each time and swept the Buccaneers 25-18, 25-17, 25-16 at the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center. Beloit fell to 4-6 on the season. Loras improved to 7-11.
Beloit led or tied early in each set. In Set 1, Selin Tufte's (Clarkdale, Ariz.) kill pulled the Buccaneers level at 2-2, and Naomi Murphy (Dubuque, Iowa) and Kyra Suiter-Meyers (Orfordville, Wis.) combined on a block to cut the deficit to 8-6. After a Beloit timeout down 11-6, Madalyn Huizel's (Faribault, MN) kill and Murphy's attack kept the pressure on. Loras still pulled away, and Daniela Perez's (San Francisco, CA) back-to-back kills late made the final margin 25-18.
Set 2 was Beloit's best start. Huizel and Murphy each blocked a Loras attack, and Lilianne Bethards' (Rockford, IL) kill gave Beloit an early 3-0 lead. Beloit led again at 9-8 after a Loras attack error, but Loras closed the set with a long scoring run. Maddisyn Adams' (Stockett, MT) service ace and kills from Murphy and Tufte made it 18-14 late. Bethards added kills at 20-16 and 22-17 before Loras finished it.
In Set 3, Beloit led 3-1 after Tufte's kill and a service ace from Madeline Holthaus (Saint Paul, MN). Loras went on a 7-3 run, powered by three aces from Jaylyn Schwartz, and never looked back. Holthaus and Perez scored in the closing stretch to make it 23-16, and Tufte had a solo block to deny Loras at 20-13.
Despite the outcome, multiple Buccaneers put together impressive performances. Bethards led the team in kills with 6 on 18 attempts (.222) and 6.0 points. She was also strong in serve receive, with 12 receptions and just one error. Five of her kills came in Set 2, when she hit .625. Murphy posted 4 kills, 1 solo block and 1 block assist for 5.5 points. Tufte and Holthaus each finished with 5.0 points. Tufte had 4 kills and a solo block. Holthaus had 4 kills, an ace and 9 digs. Huizel had 3 kills and 2 solo blocks for 5.0 points. Perez added 4 kills for 4.0 points. Aaliyah Gerard (Aiea, HI) (10 assists) and Lizzie Paschal (Holbrook, AZ) (9 assists) shared setting duties, and the team finished with 24 assists. Adelaide Schmitt (Aurora, Colo.) anchored the back row with 8 digs and 18 receptions without an error. Sofia Ekmekjian Bagarazzi (Conshohocken, PA) and Holthaus each had 9 digs.
Beloit hit .121 as a team with 26 kills and 13 errors on 107 attempts, compared with Loras' .224 on 47 kills. The Buccaneers' best set was the first at .212, and the third was the toughest at .023. Beloit's defense gave it chances, with 50 digs and 5.0 team blocks against 3.0 for Loras. Serving was the difference. Loras had 7 aces to Beloit's 2, and Beloit committed 6 service errors.
The Buccaneers open Midwest Conference play on Tuesday when they host the Foresters of Lake Forest College. First serve from Flood Arena is set for 7 pm.
