Loyola women?s volleyball team doesn?t have to worry about its players being focused on the team?s recent years of futility because most of them haven?t been around long enough to remember.
With a starting lineup that features three sophomores and no seniors, the Greyhounds have emerged from a four-year slump in which they went 32-96. The Greyhounds enter this Sunday?s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal at Fairfield with a record of 22-11 overall and 13-5 in league play.
The 22 wins are the most since the Greyhounds went a school-record 25-15 in 1992, and with 13 conference victories, Loyola earned the third-seed seed in this weekend?s four-team MAAC Tournament in Fairfield, Conn., the best entry by the Greyhounds since 1997.
“It?s a chain reaction,” Loyola middle blocker Rachel Schillinger, who has 291 kills and 124 total blocks, said. “We won the first couple of games this season and saw it?s exciting and after that we have had a more solid confidence level. Last year, we were almost surprised when we beat teams, but now, we should beat them.”
The Greyhounds started the season by losing four of their first nine games. But from Sept. 7 until Sept. 30, Loyola went 8-3, followed by a record of 7-2 in October and 3-1 in November. However, when Loyola takes the court against Fairfield on Sunday morning at 11 a.m., it will not be easy, as the Stags (20-10, 17-1) defeated the Greyhounds twice this season.
“We wanted to do better than 10 wins, but we didn?t expect to be where we are right now,” Loyola coach Kristina Hernandez said. “We are still young with no seniors on the team, and we still get into those little runs of where we let too many points go. But if we can eliminate that, we will still be competing [the next few weeks].”
Freshman outside hitter Nina Camaioni leads the team with 433 kills ? 40 more than any player last season. It has also been an improved year for sophomore setter Chrissey Cruz, who?s 1,381 assists are a school record. As a team, the Greyhounds lead the conference in blocks per game (2.46) and digs (18.80).
“We weren?t as fast last year and I couldn?t tell you how we got here,” Hernandez said. “But we are playing a different game.”
