Sept. 4, 2010

Box Score

Madison, Wis. - Visiting Loyola put together a strong third set but homestanding Wisconsin was too much as the Ramblers suffered a 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-20) loss to the Badgers tonight in the finale of the Inntowner Invitational at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wis. Loyola, who wrapped up the weekend with a 2-1 mark, falls to 3-3 while the Badgers remain perfect, improving to 6-0 with the win.

In front of a partisan crowd of 3,909, the Ramblers got off to a sluggish start as a 12-1 UW run turned an early 3-2 lead into a commanding 15-3 bulge and cruised from there. The second set followed a similar script, as the Badgers used a 10-1 spurt to turn a 4-3 edge into a 14-4 after consecutive LU errors.

Trailing 9-7 in the third set, it was Loyola that was finally able to string some points together, reeling off five consecutive points to grab a 12-9 lead. Colleen Francis and Mallory Curran each had kills in the spurt and Kristen Haggenjos pitched in with a service ace to help stake the Ramblers to the lead. Wisconsin managed to pull even at 13 and the teams essentially traded points to 18-all before the Badgers grabbed control, riding Janelle Gabrielsen's serve to take a 24-18 lead. A UW hitting error and a block from Curran and Francis helped the Ramblers stave off two match points before Gabrielsen closed it out with a kill.

After hitting just .032 through the first two sets, Loyola managed to find its stride a bit in the third set, hitting .229 (12-4-35) to finish at .103 for the match.

Francis led the way with 11 kills with Melissa Hastings, one of four Wisconsin natives on the LU roster, pitching in with six kills.

Loyola returns to action next weekend when it travels to Evansville for the Aces Dunn Hospitality Invitational. The Ramblers open play on Friday (Sept. 10) afternoon with a 2 p.m. match against Murray State.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Allison Wack, Wisconsin (MVP)
- Colleen Francis, Loyola
- Kim Kuzma, Wisconsin
- Cat Languido, Loyola
- Alexis Mitchell, Wisconsin
- Mysta Townsell, Chicago State
- Nicole Wright, Duquesne