Sept. 30, 2006

Box Score

Youngstown, Ohio - Juniors Keily Zins and Melissa Craig pounded out 11 kills apiece to lead Loyola to its first road win of the season, a 3-0 (30-24, 30-27, 30-18) sweep of Youngstown State this afternoon at the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio. The Ramblers salvage a split for the weekend and improve to 8-10 (2-2 Horizon) while dumping the Penguins to 8-12 (0-4).

"I am happy with our play today," said head coach Marcie Bomhack. "Keily and Melissa scored well for us today and were very efficient doing so. I was also pleased with our serving and defense and Ann Deelo's 25 digs were a big part of that. It was important to get a win today and now we go back home for two matches next weekend."

Loyola took control of game one early, using a five-point run to turn a 3-3 deadlock into an 8-3 lead. Three straight Zins kills were bookended by a Maria Schmitt kill and ace to account for all five points in the spurt. Youngstown State was able to stay within striking distance and got as close as two (19-17) on a Karla Everhart ace. However, three straight Penguin errors helped LU stave off the rally and Craig added three big kills down the stretch to clinch the win.

Game two was tight throughout, and neither team was able to open up more than a three-point lead until the latter stages. A Dana VanDiggelen kill helped Loyola turn a 15-all tie into an 18-15 lead and the Ramblers were able to extend to a four-point lead (25-21) on a Kathryn Langheld kill. The Penguins battled back within one on three different occasions, the last at 28-27, before a Zins kill and a Youngstown error pushed the Ramblers to a 2-0 lead in the match.

Two kills from Langheld and Craig helped Loyola open an early 9-4 lead in game three before a pair of mini-runs from Youngstown State helped the hosts close within one, 11-10. Another Langheld kill boosted the lead back to two before a five-point run on Alyse Serritella's service, highlighted by two kills and a block from Craig, gave the Ramblers some breathing room and a 20-14 lead. Another five-point spurt moments later behind Sarah Elmer's service pushed the lead to 26-17 and, essentially, sealed the win.

Loyola outhit the Penguins .233-.071 in the win and enjoyed a 6-2 edge in aces and a 67-55 advantage in digs, to underscore Bomhack's comments.

Zins' 11 kills, she also added nine digs, came against just one error on 24 swings for a solid .417 efficiency. Craig hit at a .346 (11-2-26) clip and added three blocks to her 11 put-aways while VanDiggelen and Schmitt added eight kills apiece. Deelo's 25 digs led the defensive charge.

Loyola returns to action on Tuesday night when it travels to Peoria to face Bradley in its final non-conference match of the year. First serve from Robertson Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m.