BALTIMORE, Md. –– Big plays by Amanda Montag (Jr., Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) down the stretch started the Navy (8-7, 3-1 Patriot League) volleyball team on its way to overcoming a deficit late in set four and edge Loyola (10-9, 3-2), Friday night at Reitz Arena in Baltimore.  The Mids recorded a 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 26-24, victory over the Greyhounds.
 
Loyola took a 20-17 lead deep in set four, at which point Navy head coach Paco Labrador called timeout.  Montag recorded a kill when play resumed, then she notched a solo block to trim the deficit down to one point, 20-19.  A Loyola kill was followed by another Montag kill (21-20), then the teams exchanged sideouts again to make the score 22-21 in favor of the Greyhounds. 
 
Maddi Sgattoni (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) promptly scored on a kill to tie the set at 22, which was followed by a Loyola attack error to give the Mids a 23-22 lead.  A Loyola timeout followed, with a Navy service error afterward tying the frame at 23.  A kill by Avery Stowell (So., Yorba Linda, Calif.) took the Mids to match point with a 24-23 lead.  A Loyola kill erased that chance, but a service error by the Greyhounds gave the Mids a second chance to serve for the match.  This time, Sgattoni dropped over a well-placed ball into the middle of the Loyola defense to close out the match.
 
"I can't say enough about our push at the end of set four to overcome the late deficit and win," said Labrador.  "When we needed a swing, all of our hitters were up and working hard."
 
The opening set was close until a 5-0 run gave the Mids a 21-15 advantage.
 
Loyola jumped out to 8-1, 12-6 and 17-9 leads in set two, but Navy eventually closed to within two points at 22-20, then it was 23-22 in favor of the Greyhounds following a kill by Montag.  Montag was blocked on the next point and then a Loyola kill evened the match at one set each.
 
Set number three was similar to the first in that the Mids slowly edged their way out to a slim lead late in the stanza.  Loyola led, 13-12, when consecutive kills by setter Paige Miles (Sr., Oklahoma City, Okla.), Stowell and Montag, then an ace by Miles and an attack error by the Greyhounds allowed the Mids to take a 17-13 lead.  The Navy cushion never dropped below three points over the rest of the set.
 
Navy totaled just 15 attack errors in the match, which included only three errors each in sets one (.345), three (.333) and four (.232).  The Mids hit .251 in all and held Loyola to a .226 hitting night.  Navy also held statistical advantages over Loyola in kills (59-56), and aces (7-1), and the Greyhounds led the Mids in digs (79-76) and blocks (9-5).
 
"I thought we had great balance tonight," said Labrador.  "We had a great team mentality.  When we find our steady, smart, low-error play, we are a tough team to match up with."
 
Montag registered 16 kills, 10 digs, three blocks and two aces in the match with Stowell adding 13 kills as part of her .314 hitting performance.  Sgattoni missed a double-double by one kill as she posted nine kills and 15 digs to go along with two aces.  Emily Solis (Sr., Leesburg, Va.) led all Mids with 18 digs, Natalie LaPlaca (Sr., Owings, Md.) snared 13 digs and Sofia Hruby (Sr., Austin, Texas) had three blocks.
 
Navy will be back on the court Saturday when the Mids play a 2 p.m. match at American.