Nov. 6, 2013
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
CHICAGO - Brittany Brown notched her second triple-double of the season and her and Laura Purcell each had 15 kills to lead Loyola to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-21, 27-25) win over UIC tonight in a non-conference match at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers improve to 11-15 on the season while the Flames slump to 7-19 with the loss.
Loyola scored three of the first four points of the match but UIC battled back to take an 8-7 lead after two kills from Kara Johnson. A five-point Flames run later gave the visitors a 15-10 lead and it was part of a larger 8-2 spurt that ended with Loyola facing an 18-11 deficit. A kill and block from Purcell helped the Ramblers get within four (20-16) and they crept within a pair, 22-20, after consecutive Flames errors. Stephanie Kinane fired an ace moments later to make it 23-22 but kills from Casey Harris and Olivia Desormey gave UIC the opening set, 25-22.
The Ramblers took control of the second set early, using a 7-0 run on Kinane's serve to jump out to a 9-3 lead. Brown and Sami Hansen combined for a pair of blocks in the spurt. Loyola led 11-6 before reeling off the next five points, highlighted by two Kelly Feigh aces, to take a commanding 16-6 advantage midway through the frame and UIC would get no closer than six points the rest of the way, with Maureen Carls closing out a 25-15 win that evened the match heading to intermission. Carls led the Ramblers with four kills in the set as LU held UIC to just .048 hitting in the frame.
The third set was tight throughout with neither team enjoying more than a two-point lead until the Flames opened up a 16-13 edge on a Loyola error. Kills from Hansen and Purcell were followed by another Feigh ace as the Ramblers came back to grab an 18-17 lead but the teams were tied for the 16th, and ultimately final, time at 20-all after a Kara Johnson kill. A solo stuff from Bresser gave Loyola the lead back and Brown followed with a kill to make it a 22-20 score. The teams traded points to 23-21 before consecutive UIC errors gave Loyola a 25-21 win and the lead in the match.
UIC stormed out of the gates in the fourth set, racing out to a 6-1 lead and forcing a Loyola timeout. The Ramblers slowly got themselves back into the set and trailed by only three (9-6) after a Brown kill. However, the guests extended their lead to six before Loyola really began to cut into the deficit. Kills from Brown, Purcell and Olivia Akin pulled LU within one (17-16) and it was still a one-point game before three straight UIC points gave the Flames a 23-19 advantage. The teams exchanged points again and UIC had four set points with a 24-20 lead. A Brown kill and an Akin solo block erased the first two chances before Kathleen Vogel served up an ace to make it 24-23. Brown followed with another kill to set the set to extra points but Sara Sternard gave UIC another set point chance, up 25-24. Akin was able to side-out before Brown gave the Ramblers their first match point and the home team took advantage as the sophomore setter/right side teamed with Hansen for another block to end the match.
Brown finished the match with a career-high 15 kills to go with 24 assists, 11 digs and four blocks for her second triple-double of the season and third of her career. Purcell matched her with the 15 kills and added five blocks while Vogel added a double-double of her own, posting 12 kills and 10 digs. Hansen was a force defensively at the net, notching a season-best eight blocks as the Ramblers enjoyed a 13-4 advantage in that category.
Loyola now turns its attention to Saturday's match with Bradley, who enters that match one game ahead of Loyola in the conference standings. First serve from Gentile Arena is set for 7 p.m.
