Box Score | Highlights

CHICAGO - Sophomore Morgan Reardon hammered down a match-high 17 kills but Wichita State was able to make some key plays at the end of sets to earn a tight, 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) win over the Ramblers tonight in Gentile Arena. Loyola drops to 5-8 (1-3 MVC) while the Shockers, the Valley preseason favorite, improve to 9-5 (3-1).

"We are still going through the learning process when it comes to the intensity and work ethic that it takes to open sets and close sets strong," said head coach Chris Muscat. "I truly believe that we are going to be a very good team by season's end and will continue to get better as we navigate the Valley schedule."

Loyola showed good energy from the start after a tough, five-set match last night, using a pair of blocks to jump out to an early 5-1 lead. Wichita State began to settle in and a four-point run midway through the set gave the Shockers their first lead, 13-12. The teams exchanged points to 18-17 and a Loyola error later give WSU a bit of breathing room with a 22-19 lead. The teams sided-out to 24-21 when a service error and a hitting error pulled the Ramblers within a point (24-23) but a service error gave the Shockers the point they needed to wrap up the set, 25-23. Reardon had five kills in the frame and the Ramblers held the visitors to a .098 hitting percentage but five service errors proved to be costly.

The second set followed a similar script, as kills from Reardon, Brittany Brown, Sami Hansen and Libby Bresser helped LU jump out to a 7-3 lead. Kills later from Brown and Reardon kept the lead at four (13-9) and it was a five-point margin later, 16-11, after a Wichita State error. The Shockers began to chip away but two kills from Brown helped keep them at bay. Loyola still led 21-19 after a Reardon kill but four straight from the visitors gave WSU a 23-21 lead. Loyola managed to side-out twice, drawing within one at 24-23, but a Katie Reilly put-away gave Wichita State another 25-23 lead and a 2-0 lead in the match. Reardon had six kills in the second set and received support from Bresser and Brown, who added four apiece.

Wichita State opened the third set strong in its bid to close out the match. Five straight points turned a 10-9 lead into a 15-9 bulge but the Ramblers would battle back. Consecutive blocks from the tandem of Bresser and Brown made it a 19-15 game but WSU reeled off the next five to earn a bundle of match points with a 24-15 lead. A block from Bresser and Kathleen Vogel erased the first one and Brown and Reardon had a pair of kills, the second by Reardon coming on a dig that dropped just inside the sideline, as the Ramblers put together seven straight points to make it 24-22. With the crowd into it, Abbie Lehman came up with the match-ending kill to give Wichita State the victory.

Reardon was terrific tonight, ripping 17 kills at a .371 clip (17-4-35) to lead the Ramblers. Brown gave LU a big lift off the bench, finishing with eight kills and three blocks while Stephanie Kinane paced the Loyola defense with 14 digs. Caroline Holt notched the first double-double of her career, handing out 41 assists to go with a season-high 12 digs.

Loyola hits the road next weekend for two more Valley matches, starting with a Friday night tilt in Carbondale against Southern Illinois. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.