ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Jordan Llewellyn (So., Port Deposit, Md.) registered 10 of her career-high 17 kills in the last two sets of a 25-16, 17-25, 26-24, 25-21 victory by the Navy (9-10, 5-5 Patriot League) volleyball team over Loyola (14-6, 6-3), Friday night at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis.  

"The team worked all week on some key elements that we knew we needed to improve upon," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "It is great to see the return on their hard work."

The Mids took an early 5-4 lead in the first set before extending it to four points at 11-7.  The margin was soon down to two points at 13-11 and 14-12 when a kill by Llewellyn started a 3-0 run that made the score 17-12.  After a Loyola kill, Navy rattled off the next three points to push the advantage out to seven points at 20-13.  The Greyhounds answered with a 3-0 run of their own to cut the lead down to 20-16 and result in a Navy timeout.

Llewellyn posted a kill on the first play after the break, then moved to the service line.  She dropped in an ace, then Avery Stowell (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) posted a kill to make the score 23-16.  Llewellyn added a second ace to take Navy to set point.  A Stowell kill on Llewellyn's ensuing serve gave the frame to the Mids.

Navy hit .310 and scored on 12 of Loyola's 17 serves in the first set.  Conversely, the Greyhounds were limited to a .062 hitting percentage and scored on only 11 of Navy's 24 serves.

Hitting fortunes dramatically changed in the second set as Loyola would even the match at one set apiece thanks to it hitting .393 and holding Navy to a .097 percentage.  The Greyhounds quickly scored five-straight points to jump in front 6-2, and they let the Mids climb to within as few as three points at only 6-3 and 7-4.  

Navy took an early 10-5 lead in the third set and soon held a 14-10 lead.  Loyola responded with a 4-0 run to tie the score at 14-14.  Back-to-back Navy kills made the score 16-14, then the teams traded sideouts until the Greyhounds scored on their serve to tie the proceedings at 18-18.  

A kill by Llewellyn was followed by two-consecutive points by the Greyhounds that gave them a 20-19 lead and force a Navy timeout.  A block by the Mids began a run of sideouts that gave Loyola a 24-23 lead and the chance to serve for the set.  A blocking error by Loyola extended the set, then Llewellyn registered a kill to give Navy a 25-24 lead and its first chance to serve for the set.  The Mids converted the opportunity on a kill by Stowell.

Loyola entered today's match with a 10-3 record in sets played during the league season that were decided by either two or three points, while Navy had posted a 3-7 record in those tightly contested sets.  The Greyhounds had posted a 25-23, 25-18, 25-23 victory over the Mids when the teams met earlier this season.

Both offenses played really well in the third set as Navy totaled 16 kills and a .350 attack percentage and Loyola posted 17 kills to go along with a .256 hitting frame.

The fourth set would be tied 11 times and the lead changed hands six times.  Navy tried to build some separation as it took a 15-11 lead, but Loyola scored the next four points to tie the stanza at 15-15.  An exchange of sideouts kept the score tied, then Llewellyn broke the tie with a kill.  That was followed by a kill from Stowell and a Loyola timeout.  The Greyhounds recorded the ensuing two points to tie the set again.

Jordan's twin sister Jamie Llewellyn (So., Port Deposit, Md.) broke the tie with a kill, then added another one on the next play.  Stowell pushed the advantage to 21-18 with a kill, after which the Greyhounds called timeout.  Kimberly Lynch (Sr., Murrietta, Calif.) extended the lead to four points with an ace after the stoppage.  A Loyola kill, followed by a Navy kill, followed by a Loyola kill and a block by the Greyhounds trimmed the lead for the Mids down to two points at 23-21.  That led to a Navy timeout.  The Mids were able to score when play resumed thanks to a Loyola service error, which took Navy to match point.  A brief rally between the teams on the next points was followed by a broken play on the Loyola side, which led to the ball being popped over to the Navy side of the net.  Setter Averi Miller (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) took matters into her own hands as she dropped in her fifth kill of the night unassisted to end the two-hour match.

Each team recorded 55 kills and Navy took one more swing than Loyola, 140-139.  However, the Mids tallied seven fewer attack errors, 22-15, to give them a .286-.237 advantage in hitting percentage.  Both teams were equal from the service line –– five aces and 10 errors –– Loyola held a 59-52 lead in digs and the Mids held an 11-6 edge in blocks.

Llewellyn totaled 10 kills and zero attack errors on 25 attempts over the course of sets three and four.  She ended the night with 17 kills and three errors on 36 swings for a hitting effort of .389.  Her previous career high for kills was 12 and her prior career-best effort in hitting percentage was .235.

"Jordan took some big-time swings against one of the top defensive teams in the Patriot League," said Labrador.  "She found a great rhythm in both attacking and blocking."

Not to be lost in Llewellyn's effort was the play of Stowell down the stretch.  She tallied seven kills on 13 attempts in set four on her way to a 14-kill match.  Stowell also tied a season high with eight digs.

"Avery was clutch tonight, especially in transition," said Labrador.  "She earned a ton of our points."

Defensively, Lynch snared 18 digs, Miller neared a double-double with nine digs to go along with her 34 assists and Maggie Bodman (So., Northbrook, Ill.) tallied six blocks.

"Averi played a completed game, serving runs of points, making good setting decisions and scoring points with strong net play," said Labrador.

Loyola's Abby Hamilton led all players with 21 kills.

Loyola will play at American Saturday afternoon, then the Mids will travel to Washington, D.C., to face the Eagles at 4 p.m. on Sunday.