BALTIMORE, Md. –– Maddi Sgattoni (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Avery Stowell (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) each recorded double-doubles as the Navy volleyball team registered a five-set (25-27, 25-18, 23-25, 25-21, 15-5) victory over Loyola, Friday night at Reitz Arena in Baltimore in the season-opening match for each team. 
 
"It was great to get back out on the court and compete," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "We had some really nice contributions from our younger players and, as always, Maddi shouldered a huge load of the offense."
 
The score in the first set was tied at 2-2 when Loyola scored back-to-back points to take a 4-2 lead.  The Mids would trail by as many as four points at 11-7 before drawing to within one point at 12-11 and eventually tying the frame at 16-16.  The Greyhounds scored the next four points to jump in front, 20-16.  Back came Navy with the next four points to tie the set at 20-20.
 
Loyola registered a sideout to regain the lead and the serve at 21-20, then a block by the Greyhounds gave them a 22-20 advantage.  A Loyola attack error sliced the margin in half (22-21), then Anna Kleymeyer (Fr., Sarasota, Fla.) posted a kill for Navy to tie the set once again.  Caitlin Churney knocked down a kill for Loyola to make the score 23-22 in favor of the home team.  Abby Hamilton followed with a kill to take the Greyhounds to set point with a 24-22 lead.  Katie Forsythe dropped back to serve and she committed to error from the line to extend the set (24-23).  Kleymeyer and Sgattoni teamed up for a block to tie the set at 24-24.  Hamilton notched another kill to again give Loyola set point (25-24), but that opportunity was erased on a kill from Sgattoni.  Loyola gained its third chance to win the set thanks to a kill from Adara Kellogg.  Kellogg and Lauren Link combined for a block to give Loyola the first set.
 
It was no surprise that the first set was close.  Through set one tonight, the teams have played 20 sets since the start of the 2018 season.  The first set today was the eighth in that span to be decided by two points and the 11^th to be determined by no more than three points.
 
The Mids took a 4-1 lead early in the second set only to fall behind, 6-5.  Navy scored the next five points to take a 10-6 lead and then extended the cushion out to 17-10.  The Mids recorded three blocks during that 9-4 spurt.  The lead grew to 21-13 only to see it winnow down to 21-16.  The teams traded sideouts to make the score 22-17, then a Loyola service error boosted the Navy lead out to 23-17.  Navy responded with a service error (23-18), but another service error by the Greyhounds took the Mids to set point with a 24-18 lead.  An ace by Cami Herman (Jr., Brookfield, Wis.) gave the Mids set number two.
 
Each team tallied 11 kills in the second set, but Navy held a 5-1 advantage in blocks.
 
Loyola took a 5-1 lead at the start of the third set, but Navy tied the frame at 6-6 and took an 8-7 lead.  From there, the score would be tied at 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.  The Mids took a 21-19 lead on a Loyola attack error and a kill from Stowell.  That led to a timeout being called by the Greyhounds.
 
A Navy service error cut the lead in half (21-20), then an ace by Ashley Dwyer tied the score at 21-21 and forced a timeout by the Mids.  Hamilton made the Loyola scoring run three in a row (22-21) with a kill, then a Navy attack error gave the Greyhounds a 23-21 lead.  Klemeyer posted a kill to place another point on Navy's side of the scoreboard (23-22), but a Loyola kill took the Greyhounds to set point with a 24-22 lead.  Kimberly Lynch (Jr., Murrietta, Calif.) kept Navy's hopes going with a kill (24-23), but a service error by the Mids closed out the frame.
 
Despite Loyola having seven attack errors in the frame and Navy just two, the Greyhounds held a 17-12 advantage in kills during the set to have just enough for the win.
 
Loyola would take early three-point leads in set four at 8-5, 9-6 and 10-7, but Navy tied the set at 10-10 and took a 12-11 lead. The score would be tied at 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.  A kill from setter Celie Feighery (So., Oak Hill Va.) and an ace by Amanda Montag (Sr., Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) gave the Mids a 21-19 lead.  Stowell and Maggie Bodman (Fr., Northbrook, Ill.) then combined for a block to give Navy a 22-19 advantage.  Stowell knocked down a kill to stretch the cushion out to 23-19.  Hamilton posted a kill to make it a three-point difference at 23-20, but Stowell registered another kill to make the score 24-20.  Sgattoni notched a kill to close out the fourth set and send the match to set number five.
 
Navy jumped out to a 5-1 lead at the start of the fifth set, which led to a Loyola timeout.  Sgattoni and Stowell each recorded two kills during that start.  Sgattoni posted another kill to stretch the lead to 6-1.  Klemeyer followed with a kill to make the score 7-1, then Stowell tallied a kill to expand the margin to 8-1. 
 
A Navy service error stopped the scoring run, but Klemeyer took the lead to 9-2 with a kill.  The Mids went to Sgattoni and she again delivered with a kill to keep the momentum going (10-2).  The teams traded sideouts (11-3), then Sgattoni posted her fifth kill of the set to make the score 12-3.  Loyola scored back-to-back points (12-5), and Labrador called his first timeout.  A Sgattoni kill after the break made the score 13-5.  Jordan Llewellyn (Fr., Port Deposit, Md.) tallied a kill to make the score 14-5 and take the Mids to match point.  A Loyola attack error closed out the two-hour and 20-minute match.
 
"Kimmy really stabilized our passing and defense," said Labrador.  "Avery really turned it on late in the match both as a blocker and attacker."
 
Navy ended the night with 65 kills and a .233 attack percentage.  The Mids totaled 27 kills and a .350 attack percentage over the last two sets.  Conversely, Loyola posted 58 kills and a .154 hitting percentage in the match.  This included a combined 16 kills and a .161 hitting percentage in sets four and five.
 
Defensively, the Mids held advantages over the Greyhounds in both digs (100-90) and blocks (11-7).
 
Sgattoni and Stowell combined for 10 kills and one attack error on 21 swings in the final set.  Each player ended the night with 16 kills and 12 digs.  Additionally, Bodman totaled 10 kills, a .304 hitting percentage and matched Stowell with four blocks, and Feighery dished out 40 assists and grabbed 12 digs in the first start of her career.  Leading the Navy passers was Lynch with a career-best 30 digs.
 
For Loyola, Forsythe grabbed 36 digs, and both Hamilton (14 kills, 12 digs) and Link (12 kills, 16 digs) posted double-doubles.
 
Navy will play host to Loyola Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall.  The match will be streamed through ESPN+.  Fans will not be allowed to attend the match.