Sept. 8, 2007

Final Stats

Coral Gables, Fla. - Junior Sarah Singer had 13 kills and 16 digs but it was not enough as Loyola dropped a 3-0 (31-29, 30-19, 30-24) decision to Delaware this morning at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla. The Ramblers fall to 2-6 while the Blue Hens keep their perfect start intact, improving to 10-0 with the win.

"It was a frustrating morning," said head coach Marcie Bomhack. "All the credit goes to Delaware, as they just do not let balls drop. We did not help ourselves with our passing though and if you are not passing well, it is going to be tough to beat anybody."

Loyola started the match well, using three early kills from Keily Zins to open up a 9-5 lead. Delaware responded immediately, reeling off seven of the next eight points to take a 12-10 lead of its own before three Singer kills highlighted a five-point LU spurt, giving the Ramblers a 15-12 edge at the halfway mark. The Blue Hens were able to pull even at 16 and the teams began to trade points until another 5-0 LU run gave the Ramblers a seemingly comfortable 25-21 lead. A Melissa Craig kill later helped Loyola inch closer (28-24) and another Singer kill moments later out of a timeout pushed the Ramblers to game point, 29-27. However, that would be Loyola's last point of the game, as kills from Molly Rand and Michelle LaLonde knotted the game at 29 and UD was able to complete the comeback with consecutive blocks at the net.

Delaware's momentum carried over into game two as it roared out to a 6-1 lead after back-to-back aces from Colleen Walsh. The Ramblers recovered and pulled within a point (8-7) on a ball-handling error before UD increased the lead to 13-9 on another ace. Loyola would get as close as four only once the rest of the way as Delaware eased to a 30-19 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Game three was tight throughout, with Loyola looking to find its feet and Delaware looking to close out the match. Delaware used a 6-2 spurt to turn a 9-all tie into a 15-11 lead but LU responded with three straight to get back within a point. On four more occasions, Loyola was serving down by one but could not get over the hump and a big seven-point run - aided by three LU errors - gave the Blue Hens a 27-20 lead and a stranglehold on the match.

Loyola's offense struggled all morning to find a rhythm, hitting just .114 for the match. In addition, Delaware owned a whopping 14-2 edge from the service line, a combination of factors which proved to be too much to overcome.

In addition to Singer, Zins finished with eight kills and 12 digs while Alyse Serritella posted her second straight 20-dig effort, digging a team-high 21 balls.

Loyola closes out tournament play this evening with a 5 p.m. match against Brown.