Oct. 4, 2013
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CHICAGO - On the heels of double-doubles from Kathleen Vogel and Brittany Brown, Loyola battled from start to finish but could not get over the hump in a 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-17, 25-22) loss to Illinois State tonight at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers slip to 7-9 (2-3 MVC) while the Redbirds continue their perfect conference start, improving to 11-4 (4-0).
"I am so incredibly proud to have coached this group tonight," said head coach Chris Muscat. "The way we batted and persevered through all the adversity tonight was special and showed what type of team we have. Now we need to refocus and be ready for another tough battle tomorrow."
The opening set was close from the outset with Loyola taking an 8-6 lead on an Emily Carr kill. Illinois State battled back, scoring six of the next eight points to grab a 12-10 lead but the Ramblers pulled back even at 13 after a Mary Kate Styler put-away. However, a key four-point scoring run gave ISU a 20-15 advantage and Loyola could get no closer than three the rest of the way with a Stacey Niao kill giving the Redbirds the opening set, 25-20.
Loyola trailed 7-5 early in the second set before finding a rhythm. Kills from Maureen Carls and Vogel preceded a Kelly Feigh ace as part of a 7-0 LU spurt that gave the home team a 12-7 lead. The lead grew to six (18-12) after kills from Vogel and Styler but Illinois State was able to rally. Four consecutive points made it a two-point game and the Redbirds pulled within a single point later (21-20) on an Emily Schneider kill. After trading points to 22-21, kills from Bresser and Carls sent the Ramblers to set point where, after another Schneider kill kept ISU alive, Vogel found the floor to cap a 25-22 win and hand Illinois State its first set loss in MVC play this season.
The Ramblers held a 4-3 lead early in the third set before a 6-1 Illinois State run gave the visitors a 9-5 lead. Loyola struggled to string points together but managed to hang around, drawing back within four, 19-15, on an ISU error before the Redbirds scored the next three to open a 22-15 lead and they cruised from there, taking a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-17 win. After hitting .343 in the second set, Loyola struggled with a -.115 (6-9-26) efficiency in the third frame.
The teams were tied seven different times to get to 10-all in the fourth set before Loyola rattled off six of seven points to open a 15-11 lead. Ilinois State answered back with a 6-1 run of its own to grab a 17-16 lead and the teams were tied at 20 after a Carls kill. However, an ISU block and another Loyola error gave the visitors an opening and they were able to hold on from there, using another block on match point to close out the four-set win.
Despite seeing two players leave the match due to injury, Loyola used a gutty team effort to hang tough. Vogel posted a double-double of 13 kills and 13 digs while Brown narrowly missed a triple-double, racking up nine kills to go with 24 assists and a season-high 16 digs. Bresser posted eight kills out of the middle and Carls added seven more.
Loyola returns to action tomorrow night when it takes on Indiana State at 7 p.m. inside Gentile Arena.
