Sept. 17, 2010

Box Score

CHICAGO - After a stirring comeback to end the fourth set, Loyola tried to duplicate its heroics in the fifth set but Butler setter Gina Vera's dig fell just inside Loyola's sideline to give the visiting Bulldogs a dramatic 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 24-26, 15-13) win in the Horizon League opener for both teams tonight at Alumni Gym. Sophomore Diana Schulte was terrific in defeat, hammering down a career-high 23 kills to lead the Ramblers.

"I thought we showed a great deal of heart," said head coach Marcie Wolbeck. "We battled back in the fourth set but just fell one point short in the fifth. Every match in the Horizon League this year is going to be a battle and tonight showed that."

Butler scored four of the first six points in the match and played with the lead throughout the early portion of the opening set. A Candice Carajohn kill and a Butler error made it a 14-14 game and Mallory Curran scored three straight points later with two kills and a solo stuff as the Ramblers moved out to a 19-17 lead. Butler pulled even at 19 and the teams traded points to 21-all before two Colleen Francis kills gave LU a 23-21 edge. After trading points to 24-22, Curran notched her fourth kill of the frame to close out a 25-22 win.

Loyola fell behind early in the second set before a 5-0 run gave the home team its first lead at 11-10. The teams battled back and forth through the middle stages before Butler was able to string some points together, turning a 17-16 deficit into a 20-17 lead after a Susan Lester ace. The Ramblers could not recover and a LU service error helped Butler even the match heading into intermission.

The third set was all Butler, as the visitors found their block to take the lead in the match. The Bulldogs used six blocks in the frame, opening leads of 6-1 and 10-3 en route to rolling to a 25-16 win.

Loyola struggled at the outset of the fourth set to regain its rhythm, falling behind 7-3 after a Kelly Hunter ace. A Natalie Fiore service ace later pulled the Ramblers within one, 8-7, as they were able to get right back in the game. The set was tied 12 different times to get to 20-all before Butler ran off five of the next six points to earn itself three match points and a 24-21 lead. However, Loyola mustered up the energy to make one last push, with Schulte erasing the first match point with a kill. After a Bulldog error, it was Schulte again that killed off the third chance, forging a 24-24 tie with another kill. With momentum on its side, the Ramblers kept pushing and they were able to wrap up a memorable 26-24 win with another BU error and a Francis kill.

Butler jumped out to a two-point advantage in the fifth set but a Francis ace evened things at 8-8. A service error gave the Bulldogs the lead back and they made the serve count, rattling off three straight points to take a seemingly comfortable 12-8 lead. A Lester kill later gave the Bulldogs three more match points with a 14-11 lead but the Ramblers tried to rain on their parade again. A Fiore kill made it 14-12 and Francis exploited a scrambling Butler defense for another kill to make it 14-13. A tough Kristen Haggenjos serve had Butler out of system and a free ball gave LU a chance. However, Vera made a nice defensive play and her defensive dig floated over the net and dropped inside the near sideline to give Butler the road win.

Schulte had nine of her career-high 23 kills in the fourth set and she hit a sizzling .465 (23-3-43) for the match. Francis shook off a slow start to finish with 14 kills while Curran also reached double figures, finishing with 12 kills. Jessica Wolfe led Butler with 19 kills.

Loyola has little time to fret over the loss as the Ramblers return to action tomorrow afternoon with a 4 p.m. match against Wright State.