GAME INFORMATION
Location: Joel Coliseum -- Winston Salem, N.C.
Final Score: Loyola 3-2 Wake Forest (21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 15-10)
Records: Loyola (3-3); Wake Forest (1-3)
Stats: Box Score  | Season Stats

In Short...
Gabi Maciagowski ripped a career-high 22 kills at a .488 clip as Loyola clinched the Demon Deacon Invite title with a 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 19-25, 15-10) win over host Wake Forest tonight in Winston Salem, N.C.

How it Happened
+ Loyola was pushed to a fifth set for the second consecutive match and responded in similar fashion, rattling off the first five points of the final frame
+ The home team pulled within two, 7-5, but a Morgan Reardon kill helped reopen a four-point lead and the Ramblers were never seriously threatened the rest of the way
+ Loyola jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the opening set after a pair of Wake Forest errors but a four-point spurt pulled the home team even at 12
+ Wake Forest kept pushing and opened up a 17-14 lead only to see Loyola battle back and get within one (18-17) on a Sami Hansen kill
+ However, the Demon Deacons were able to stem the tide and see out the set, wrapping up a 25-21 win after a pair of Kylie Long kills
+ Loyola raced out to an 8-3 lead in the second set and opened up a 13-5 advantage after a Wake Forest error
+ Two more Long kills pulled WF within four (16-12) but kills from Reardon, Maciagowski and Quinn Spieker get the Ramblers back on track and a Reardon stuff closed out a 25-20 win that evened the match at a set apiece
+ A Maciagowski kill gave the Ramblers an early 5-2 lead in the third set and four straight Wake Forest errors later made it an 11-5 game
+ The home team was able to find a bit of a rhythm and scored six of seven points midway through the set to close within one, 17-16
+ The Ramblers held strong and never relinquished the lead, eventually wrapping up a 25-22 win with another Reardon solo stuff
+ The fourth set was nip-and-tuck through the middle stages before a 5-1 Wake Forest run turned a 16-all tie into a 21-17 lead and the Deacons were able to cruise from there to force a fifth set

Inside the Numbers
+ Maciagowski was outstanding, hammering her 22 kills against just one error while also pitching in with eight digs and six blocks to lead the way
+ Reardon added 14 kills and 14 digs for her second double-double of the day while Hansen (eight kills, six blocks) and Spieker (seven kills, seven digs) also contributed
+ Setter Delilah Wolf passed out a career-high 47 assists and added 11 digs while libero Maddy Moser posted a career-high 33 digs from the back row
+ After being plagued by errors in its first match of the day, Loyola committed just 17 miscues in this match, compared to 38 from Wake Forest
+ After going 0-5 in five-set matches last season, the Ramblers were 2-0 in five-setters today
+ Loyola's .244 team hitting percentage tonight was a season-high total
+ This was the first-ever meeting between the two teams

Up Next
Loyola heads back to Chicago before visiting the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kan.) for a tournament next weekend