Box Score

Carbondale, Ill. - Morgan Reardon had a match-high 18 kills to lead a balanced offensive attack as Loyola picked up its second Missouri Valley road win of the young season with a 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 25-23) victory over Southern Illinois tonight at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. The Ramblers improve to 6-8 (2-3 MVC) while sending the Salukis to 7-9 (1-3) with the loss.

"I thought we did a great job controlling the serve-and-pass game and found a good balance offensively," said head coach Chris Muscat. "We stayed aggressive and were able to execute at a high level down the stretch. All in all, a good start to the weekend for us."

Loyola scored five of the first seven points of the match and moved out to an 11-7 lead after Libby Bresser produced a solo block and teamed up with Reardon for another rejection. Four straight SIU points turned a 13-10 deficit into a 14-13 lead and the teams went back and forth through the middle stages of the set. Kills from Brittany Brown and Reardon gave the Ramblers a 22-20 lead and, after Southern Illinois got within 23-22, kills from Sami Hansen and Maureen Carls secured a 25-22, opening-set win. Loyola hit a solid .290 in the set, en route to winning the opening frame for the first time in five Valley matches.

The Ramblers carried that momentum into the second set and two Hansen aces highlighted a five-point run that gave LU an 11-5 lead. The lead ballooned to nine (17-8) after a Brown kill but Southern Illinois had one last run in it, pulling within four (20-16) on a Loyola error. However, Carls pounded out back-to-back kills and another Brown kill later capped a 25-19 win that gave the Ramblers a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Reardon had four kills as Loyola slugged away at a .481 (17-4-27) clip for the set.

The visitors jumped out to the early lead again in third set and enjoyed a 12-10 lead before the Salukis rallied. Five straight points gave the home team a 15-12 lead and Loyola trailed 19-15 after a Taylor Pippen kill before mounting a comeback. Reardon had two kills in a 5-1 spurt that evened the set at 20 but a Meg Viggars kill gave SIU a 24-22 lead and a pair of set points. A bad set and a hitting error made it 24-all and the Ramblers had a match point at 25-24 after a Carls kill. Another Pippen kill kept the Salukis alive and they proceeded to score the next two points to extend the match with a 27-25 win. Carls led the way for Loyola with six kills on 11 swings.

Hansen had a kill and two blocks in a five-point run that staked Loyola to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set as the Ramblers looked to close out the match. The Ramblers held their nerve and still enjoyed a 15-11 lead midway through the set after a Southern Illinois error. However, the home team scored five of the next six to pull even at 16 and the Salukis took the lead, 21-20, on a Leah Edgerton ace. It was a 23-21 game after another ace before Loyola dug deep and finished strong. A Brown kill and a SIU error tied it at 23 and another Brown kill gave the Ramblers another chance at the match. Reardon made this one count, coming up with a solo block to cap a match-ending, 4-0 run that gave LU its first win over Southern Illinois since 1995.

Reardon posted eight digs and two blocks to go with her match-high 18 kills and she received plenty of help. Carls added 12 kills while Brown was outstanding on the right side, finishing with 11 kills at a .360 (11-2-25) clip. Caroline Holt notched her second consecutive double-double from the setter spot (50 assists, 11 digs) while Kinane (18 digs) and Kathleen Vogel (10) anchored the back-row defense.

Loyola looks for the weekend sweep when it takes on Evansville at 6 p.m. tomorrow night.