Final Stats

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Morgan Reardon fired a season-high 21 kills and added 15 digs en route to leading the Loyola University Chicago volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-13, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18) victory over Elon in game one of the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic on Friday. Reardon recorded her second double-double of the season and was joined in double-digit kills by Brittany Brown and Amanda Cushen, who posted 13 and 10, respectively. With the win, Loyola improves to 5-2 on the season and currently rides a four-game win streak.

After trading points to open set one, Loyola scored four unanswered, including a pair of kills from Cushen and one from Reardon, to pull ahead 7-3 and force an Elon timeout. The Ramblers maintained the steady lead behind kills from Brown, Sami Hansen, Gabi Maciagowski and Cushen until back-to-back kills from Maureen Carls and Reardon upped the Loyola lead to 16-10, forcing the Phoenix to use its final timeout. The Ramblers rallied out of the timeout to score four of the next five points, including kills from Brown and Reardon, a double-stuff from Carls and Cushen and a Reardon service ace, to increase the lead to 20-11. The Ramblers held on to claim the set, 25-13, and take the overall 1-0 lead.

Loyola fell behind 5-2 to begin set two, but a Reardon kill followed by back-to-back service aces from Stephanie Kinane then tied the set at five points apiece. The Phoenix reclaimed the lead with a kill, but Loyola responded by scoring four unanswered points behind kills from Carls and Reardon and a Caroline Holt service ace to take a 9-6 lead, forcing an Elon timeout. Cushen then led the Ramblers out of the timeout, firing four kills to help up the Loyola lead to 17-10. Elon then scored four of the next five points to cut the lead to 18-14, but the Ramblers held on to take set two, 25-20.

The third set began with Loyola falling behind 13-6, forcing the Ramblers to use both timeouts during the opening stretch. After two kills from Hansen, Loyola scored four unanswered points behind a Reardon block and kills from Carls and Brown to cut the Phoenix lead to 16-12, forcing an Elon timeout. The teams then traded points, with Brown racking up three kills during the stretch, until Loyola pulled to within two behind a Phoenix error, a Reardon kill and a double-stuff from Reardon and Carls, causing Elon to use its final timeout. Three Reardon kills then tied the set at 22-22, but the Phoenix held on to win set three, 25-23.

The two teams traded points back-and-forth to begin the fourth set until Loyola scored three unanswered, including kills from Cushen and Brown, to take a 10-7 lead. The Ramblers maintained the steady lead until Reardon scored back-to-back points, a kill and block, to up the score to 21-17, forcing an Elon timeout. The Ramblers went on to win the set 25-18 behind three kills from Reardon and one from Brown, claiming the overall 3-1 victory and extending the current win streak to four games.

Loyola posted its highest hitting percentage of the season in the victory, outhitting Elon .326 to .146.