Nov. 16, 2013
Box Score
CHICAGO - Missouri State won its eighth consecutive game as the Bears defeated the Loyola University Chicago women's volleyball team this afternoon, 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 25-18), inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers fall to 12-17 (6-10 MVC) and remain tied with Bradley for sixth in the conference standings while Missouri State moves to 21-9 (12-5 MVC).
The first set remained tight in the early going, with neither team able to establish a lead of more than a single point before back-to-back service aces by Olivia Brand gave Missouri State a lead of 11-8 and forced a Loyola timeout. Following a Kathleen Vogel kill, one of her 11 on the afternoon, the visitors from Springfield, Mo. scored four unanswered points to seize command. Loyola chipped the deficit back down to five on separate occasions but a Kayla Walton kill wrapped up the opening set for the Bears, 25-19.
Missouri State used a 6-3 run to take control of the second set but Loyola answered back with a run of its own, rattling off five straight points to take a 9-7 lead. The stretch was powered by a pair of kills from Brittany Brown, who picked up eight on the day. The local product out of Nazareth Academy also recorded a team-high 24 assists against the Bears this afternoon. Missouri State regained its lead in the set at 12-11 following a Rambler attack error. A 6-2 run followed that error, punctuated by a kill from Karen Rivatto that put the Bears in the driver's seat, 18-13, before they ultimately wrapped up the second set, 25-17.
Following the intermission, the two teams again engaged in a tight set. Missouri State opened up a two-point lead on a pair of different occasions early on but a 7-0 Loyola scoring run helped the Ramblers get out to a 15-9 advantage. Vogel and Laura Purcell each registered kills during the crucial stretch for Loyola. The Bears battled back within four but Loyola did not let down, forcing a fourth set as it won by a score of 25-20.
Looking to force a fifth set, Loyola found itself in an early 8-4 hole following kills by Kayla Walton and Kaitlin Jagger before spending a timeout. A kill by Purcell brought the Ramblers back to within three, 10-7, but Missouri State rattled off consecutive points to take a 12-7 lead. The two teams traded points in the middle stages of the set as the Ramblers were unable to cut into the deficit. A block by Brown and Libby Bresser gave the Ramblers a glimmer of hope at 21-18 but Missouri State ran off the set's final four points to win, 25-18, and take the game, 3-1.
The Ramblers will now look forward to their final weekend of conference play. Loyola will travel to Des Moines, Iowa for a showdown with Drake on Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m. before wrapping up the regular season against Northern Iowa the following day at 3 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
