Final Stats

VALPARAISO, Ind. - The Loyola University Chicago volleyball team continued its winning ways on Saturday, sweeping Kennesaw State (25-20, 25-20, 25-20) to increase the winning streak to six games. Brittany Brown led the Ramblers with 13 kills, while Gabi Maciagowski and Morgan Reardon each added 10 apiece. The Ramblers improve to 7-2 overall after handing the Owls their second loss of the season.

After trading points to open set one, Loyola rallied to score six of the next seven points behind a trio of kills from Brown, as well as kills from Maureen Carls and Amanda Cushen, to take a 10-4 lead and force a Kennesaw State timeout. The Owls were able to pull within four points, but Carls and Brown combined for three consecutive points to up the Rambler lead to 17-10, forcing Kennesaw State to use its final timeout. Reardon, Brown, Carls and Sami Hansen each fired kills to add to the lead before a service ace from Stephanie Kinane gave the Ramblers a 24-19, advantage. Loyola went on to take set one, 25-20, and take an overall 1-0 lead. The Ramblers outhit the owls .548 to .375 in set one, with Brown recording seven kills.

The two teams traded points to begin set one until Loyola took a 12-8 lead behind kills from Amanda Cushen, Hansen and Maciagowski, as well as a Reardon block, to force a Kennesaw State timeout. Loyola managed to increase the lead to 15-9 before Kennesaw State scored thee unanswered to pull within three points and force a Rambler timeout. Loyola maintained the three-point lead until Reardon fired a pair of kills and Maciagowski and Carls combined for a block to give the Ramblers the 25-20 set two victory.

Kennesaw State jumped out to an 11-7 lead to open set three, forcing a Loyola timeout. The Ramblers then scored the next three points, including kills from Maciagowski and Carls, to cut the Owl lead to 11-10. The teams then battled back-and-forth until back-to-back Rambler points, a Brown kill and a service ace from Carls, put Loyola on top, 16-15. Another Brown kill and a pair of Owl errors then increased the Rambler lead to 19-16, forcing a Kennesaw State timeout. Loyola held on to the steady lead until back-to-back kills from Carls and Reardon ended set three, 25-20, to give the Ramblers the three-set sweep.

Loyola concludes action at the Valparaiso Popcorn Classic tonight with a matchup against the host Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. CT, set to air live on ESPN3.