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CHICAGO - Loyola recovered from a first-set hiccup to put itself in position to win but Missouri State scored eight of the last nine points of the match, stunning the Ramblers 3-2 (25-9, 22-25, 25-27, 25-17, 16-14) tonight at Gentile Arena. Loyola slips to 5-7 (1-2 MVC) while the Bears improve to 8-6 (2-1) with the win.

The fifth set personified the up-and-down nature of the match, with Loyola using a four-point spurt to take a 9-6 lead. After an error, the Ramblers kept pushing, using a pair of Morgan Reardon kills to take a seemingly comfortable 13-8 advantage. However, a net error gave Missouri State service and Maddie Hogan served up three points to get the Bears within one, 13-12. A service error gave the Ramblers two match points but two Lily Johnson kills erased both and she added a third kill before an Elise Munroe ace capped off the unlikely comeback.

Playing in its home gym for the first time this season, Loyola struggled out of the gate, with Missouri State opening up leads of 7-1 and 13-2 en route to taking the opening set, 25-9. However, the Ramblers were able to bounce back strong in the second frame, opening a 7-3 lead on a block from Maureen Carls and Sami Hansen. Missouri State was able to chip away and the visitors caught their host at 13 before taking a 16-14 lead after consecutive LU errors. The Bears extended to a 22-17 advantage before the Ramblers closed with a flourish. A MSU error sent Stephanie Kinane to the service line with Loyola staring at a four-point deficit and, with help from three Laura Purcell kills, the libero was able to serve out the set, with a Hansen kill on an overpass capping a 25-22 win that evened the match at one set apiece. After hitting -.207 in the first set, LU found its offensive flow and hit .375 in set two.

Three Reardon kills early in the third set helped push the Ramblers out to an 11-5 lead but, much like in the second set, Missouri State would respond. A Loyola error forged a 12-12 tie and the Bears inched out to a 14-12 lead on a Johnson kill. The home team hung in there as the teams battled back and forth down the stretch. Loyola had first crack at the set at 24-23 but a block and a Lauren Boone kill gave MSU a chance with a 25-24 lead. Two Hansen kills pushed LU to the brink and it made good on its second opportunity, with Hansen combining with Caroline Holt on a big block to gave the Ramblers the set, 27-25.

Missouri State scored six of the first seven points in the fourth set and opened a 10-3 lead after a Loyola error. The Ramblers drew within five (13-8) on a Purcell kill but they struggled to string points together and MSU sent the match to a fifth set with a 25-17 win.

Defenses ruled for the majority of the match, with Missouri State hitting .186 to Loyola's .138 for the night. However, the Bears enjoyed a key, 10-1 edge from the service line, including a pair down the stretch in the fifth set.

Reardon and Purcell led the way with 15 kills apiece, with the total representing a season high for Purcell. Hansen and Carls added eight put-aways each. Kinane was terrific in the back row, digging a match-high 29 balls as LU enjoyed a 74-65 edge in that category. Johnson posted a match-high 20 kills to lead Missouri State.

Loyola has little time to dwell on the loss as it returns to the court tomorrow night for a 7 p.m. tilt against Wichita State inside Gentile Arena.