Box Score

Evanston, Ill. - Morgan Reardon led all hitters with 22 kills and Kathleen Vogel tied her career-high with 19 to lead Loyola to a 3-2 (21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11) victory over Virginia this morning in the opening match of the Wildcat Classic hosted by Northwestern. The Ramblers move to 4-3 with the win and send the Cavaliers (6-1) to their first loss.

"This match saw us take another step forward in the development process," said head coach Chris Muscat. "I was proud of how we battled and competed against a quality opponent. This is a big win, early in the season against a physical team."

After the teams played four very competitive sets, Loyola jumped on Virginia early in the fifth set. Vogel had two kills to stake the Ramblers to a 4-1 lead and Kelly Feigh had a ball trickle over the tape to make it 5-1 and prompt a UVA timeout. Loyola kept pushing and enjoyed an 8-2 lead at the changeover after a Maureen Carls kill. It was an 11-5 game after a Caroline Holt ace before Virginia mounted a comeback. The Cavaliers scored four of the next five points to get within three (12-9) and a Jasmine Burton ace moments later made it a two-point game, 13-11. However, a Virginia error gave the Ramblers three match points and Vogel was able to cash in on the first opportunity, ripping her four kill of the set to close it out.

Virginia drew first blood in a tight opening set. The Cavaliers scored three straight points to open a 7-4 lead but the Ramblers battled back and pulled even at 9-9 after a Carls kill. A five-point Loyola run in the middle of the set gave the Ramblers a 16-12 advantage but Virginia's block came up big, helping them catch LU at 17 apiece. Two Morgan Blair kills pushed UVA out to a 22-19 lead and it was able to side-out the rest of the way, taking the opening set 25-21.

The second set followed a similar script with Loyola inching out to a 13-11 lead after kills from Vogel and Reardon. A Sami Hansen kill later made it a three-point lead and the Ramblers led late by that same margin, 22-19, after another Hansen put-away. However, Virginia answered by scoring the next four to grab a 23-22 lead and had a set point to 24-23 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Carls erased that chance with a kill and Reardon followed with a kill of her own to give LU a set point with a 25-24 lead. After a timeout, Holt rifled an ace to close it out and even the match heading into intermission.

Virginia stormed out of the break, scoring the first four points of the third set. A Vogel kill got Loyola on the board and the Ramblers began to settle back into the set. Kills from Carls and Reardon helped LU forge a 9-9 tie and the Ramblers enjoyed a 13-11 lead later after another Vogel kill. The lead swelled to as many as four (18-14) after a block from Carls and Libby Bresser and LU withstood a UVA charge down the stretch to secure a 25-20 win that gave the Ramblers a 2-1 lead in the match.

Primed to close out the match, Loyola scored the first three points of the fourth set. However, as in the previous three frames, it would be a nip-and-tuck affair. The teams were tied 11 different times to get to 19-all before consecutive Loyola errors gave UVA a little breathing room. A Reardon kill and a Cavalier error created the 12th and final tie of the set at 23-23 before a Haley Fauntleroy kill and a Rambler error sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

Reardon led the way with her 22 kills and received plenty of help from Vogel (19 kills, nine digs) and Carls (16 kills). Holt was efficient in running the offense, handing out 55 assists to go with nine digs and a pair of aces while the tandem of Stephanie Kinane (21 digs) and Feigh (19 digs, two aces) was solid in the back row.

Loyola looks to cap a 2-0 day when it returns to the court tonight for a 7 p.m. match with host Northwestern.