Sept. 28, 2013
Box Score
Carbondale, Ill. - Morgan Reardon recorded a match-high 19 kills but Loyola committed 35 hitting errors as a team in a 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 21-25, 25-16) setback to Southern Illinois this afternoon at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. Loyola (7-8, 2-2 MVC) settles for a split of its first MVC road weekend while SIU bounced back from last night's loss to Bradley to improve to 7-9 (2-2).
The opening set was close early with Loyola grabbing a 7-5 lead after a Brittany Brown kill and a SIU error. However, the home team responded in a big way, rattling off seven straight points to take the lead (12-7) and forcing the Ramblers to play from behind. Loyola got within three (14-11) on a Reardon kill and were still down three at 16-13 before the Salukis scored seven of the next eight points to open things up and they cruised to a 25-17 win. Reardon and Emily Carr combined for nine of the team's 13 kills in the set.
A four-point run midway through the second set turned a 10-9 SIU lead into a 14-9 bulge before Loyola tried to battle back. A Saluki error and an Olivia Akin kill pulled LU within four (19-15) but Southern Illinois responded by scoring the next three to re-open a seven-point lead and two LU errors closed out a 25-19 set that gave SIU a 2-0 lead in the match heading to intermission.
The Salukis seemed primed to close the match out in the third set, racing out to leads of 5-2 and 14-9 before Loyola found its rhythm. An Akin kill gave the Ramblers service and Brown served up two more points to make it 14-11. A Meg Viggars kill only slowed Loyola's momentum momentarily as Maureen Carls ripped two kills and teamed with Akin for a block that evened the score at 15-all. The hosts surged back out to a 19-16 advantage before the Ramblers closed with a flourish. A block from Brown and Libby Bresser made it 19-19 and the teams traded points to 21-all. It was all Ramblers from there as consecutive hitting errors gave LU a 23-21 lead, Akin and Carr teamed up for a block to take the Ramblers to set point and Brown took advantage with a kill to give Loyola the third set, 25-21.
A kill from Reardon and a Vicki Wrobel ace helped Loyola jump out to an early 8-6 lead in the fourth set but Southern Illinois responded with a decisive 13-3 run to take a commanding 19-11 lead. Loyola tried to fight back immediately, scoring the next three on kills from Reardon and Bresser plus an ace from Kelly Feigh, but the home team managed to stem the tide and closed out the match, 25-16.
Reardon tied her season-high, set last night, with 19 kills but committed 13 of the Ramblers' 35 hitting errors. Carr also reached double figures, racking up 10 kills, while Bresser added six and three blocks.
Loyola returns home for a pair of matches next weekend starting with a Friday night (Oct. 4) clash against Illinois State. First serve from Gentile Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
