Oct. 20, 2012

Box Score

Dayton, Ohio - For the second consecutive night, Loyola banded together in the fifth set to earn a tough road win, knocking off Wright State, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13), this evening at McLin Gymnasium in Dayton, Ohio. The win moves the Ramblers (15-7, 7-2 Horizon) into sole possession of second place in the Horizon League while the Raiders slide to 2-24 (0-9) with the loss.

"I am really proud of how we battled and fought tonight," said head coach Chris Muscat. "It was a tough situation tonight and a long trip this weekend but we were able to persevere and pull through."

After a grueling five-set win last night at Valparaiso, Loyola got off to a sluggish start tonight. A Samantha Daniel kill helped Wright State open up a 13-9 lead but kills from Laura Purcell, Anna Eytchison, Libby Bresser and Brittany Brown keyed a 6-1 Loyola run that gave the Ramblers a 15-14 edge. The Raiders scored the next three points to regain the lead and Loyola could not get over the hump, closing within a point on several occasions but never able to get any closer with Heidi Splinter closing out a 25-23 WSU win with a kill.

Loyola regrouped and jumped out quickly in the second set, riding three Kathleen Vogel kills and three Eytchison aces in an 8-0 run that gave LU a 12-4 lead. The Raiders began to chip away, pulling with three (15-12) after two Splinter kills, but the Ramblers were able to regain their form and began to slowly extend their lead with a Purcell kill capping a 25-18 win to even the match at one set apiece.

Six consecutive WSU errors, two of which were blocks from Purcell and Nichole Riedel, gave the Ramblers control of the third set and another Wright State error later extended the margin to nine, 13-4. However, the home team was able to turn things around quickly, rattling off 12 of the next 15 points to pull even at 16-16. An Eytchison kill later helped Loyola build its lead back to three (21-18) but Wright State hung in there, getting as close as one (22-21) down the stretch but the Ramblers used an Eytchison kill and two Raider errors to take the set, 25-21.

Two Eytchison kills and a Riedel ace helped Loyola scored the first four points of the fourth set as the visitors were primed to close out the match. However, the home team had other ideas, rallying to take a 7-6 lead after two Mariah Nussbaum aces. The lead ballooned to six (14-8) midway through the frame before two Purcell kills and one from Eytchison helped the Ramblers get within three at 18-15. That would prove to be as close as they would get, however, as the Raiders pushed the match to a fifth set with a 25-21 victory.

After a long, five-set match last night, Loyola had to dig deep. The teams were tied 11 different times to get to 12-all before Loyola made its break. A Wright State service error gave LU the lead and a solid serve forced a Raider error to give the Ramblers a match point at 14-12. A Marisa Aiello kept the hosts alive but Riedel's third kill of the night was the match-winner, as Loyola took the fifth by the identical score it did last night, 15-13.

"I thought two people, in particular, really played a big part in this win tonight," stated Muscat. "Stephanie Kinane anchored our back row all weekend. She had 35 digs tonight but really kept people on the same page, played at a high level and kept points alive. Laura Purcell was the other. She gave us great leadership out on the floor tonight, communicating and keeping the team focused. In a match where we needed every ounce of energy and leadership, she brought it tonight and kept us on track."

Eytchison led Loyola's offense with 20 kills and added 15 digs for a double-double. Purcell was terrific as well, ripping 11 kills to go with seven key blocks. Bresser had another solid match in the middle tonight, pitching in with eight kills and seven blocks. Brown picked up her second double-double of the weekend (45 assists, 14 digs) while Kinane racked up a career-best 35 digs, one shy of Alyse Serritella's school record set in 2007.

Loyola returns to action next weekend with its final two home matches of the season. First up is a Friday night (Oct. 26) tussle with Youngstown State before closing out play on Saturday against Cleveland State.