MONTGOMERY, Ala. – William Carey Volleyball opened pool play at the SSAC Tournament with a straight-sets win over Life University before falling to Loyola in their second match of the day.
 
The Lady Crusaders started strong against Life, pulling away midway through the first set. After a brief back-and-forth, Carey surged to a 13-6 lead with a 7-1 run and continued to control the frame, taking it 25-18.
 
Life responded early in set two, jumping ahead 10-5 before WCU halted the momentum and trimmed the deficit to 11-10. Following a Life point, back-to-back kills from Agnes Hegardt and Riley Carter, along with a block by Katarina Vulic and Maurin Ryes, gave Carey its first lead of the set at 13-12.
 
With the score tied at 16, the Lady Crusaders seized control behind three consecutive kills from Jahaziel Alualu-Tala and Hegardt. Life pulled within two at 20-18, but Carey closed the door with three kills, a block, and an ace to secure a 2-0 lead.
 
The third set opened evenly before WCU took command with an 8-2 run to go up 16-12. Life remained within striking distance but never closer than three points, as Carey completed the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
 
In the matchup with Loyola, WCU again came out firing, building a 12-5 lead fueled by five kills and three straight service aces from Brenna Guthrie. Loyola answered with a 9-1 run to briefly take the lead, but the Lady Crusaders regained control late. A 7-0 run—featuring six kills and a Wolfpack error—closed out a 25-17 first-set win.
 
Set two featured tight play throughout, with neither team leading by more than a point until Carey created a 17-14 advantage. The Wolfpack responded with a decisive 5-0 run to move ahead 23-20 and held on to even the match with a 25-22 win.
 
Loyola carried the momentum into set three, jumping ahead 12-6. Carey clawed back within two at 14-12 and again at 16-14, but the Wolfpack pulled away on another 5-0 run and took the set 25-18.
 
Set four opened with a burst from Carey, who stormed ahead 6-1, but Loyola countered with five straight points and eventually built an 11-7 lead. From there, the Wolfpack remained in control and closed out the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
The Lady Crusaders return to action tomorrow to conclude pool play against Point University. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.