Game Notes | Live Video vs. Marquette | Live Stats vs. Marquette | Live Stats vs. Kentucky

CHICAGO (September 5, 2017) - After getting its first win of the season Sunday against Samford, Loyola makes the short trip north to Milwaukee to compete in the Marquette Invitational this weekend. The Ramblers are seeking their first win away from home this season and will also be looking to earn their third win over a Power 5 conference opponent since the start of the 2016 campaign. Four Ramblers will be making a homecoming of sorts this weekend as they return to the Badger state. Victoria Hodkiewicz (Lake Geneva), Heather Kocken (DePere), Quinn Spieker (Burlington) and Elle Van Grinsven (Franklin) are all Wisconsin natives.
 
SCOUTING THE MARQUETTE INVITATIONAL FIELD
Marquette enters the weekend with a 3-3 record but has won two of its last three matches, with the lone loss coming at the hands of former Loyola conference mate Wichita State. The Golden Eagles have played a challenging schedule, including matches against nationally ranked teams Hawaii, UCLA and San Diego and they knocked off the Rainbows in the season opener, 24-26, 25-21, 25-18, 18-25, 15-12. Sophomore outside hitter Allie Barber leads Marquette with 109 total kills (4.54 per set) and is hitting an impressive .313 (109-31-251) on the season.
 
Loyola is meeting Marquette for the first time since October 8, 2013, when the Golden Eagles earned a three-set victory in Milwaukee. Loyola's last win over MU came in 2004.
 
Ranked No. 13 in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll, Kentucky dropped its most recent match, falling to No. 7 Kansas, 23-25, 20-25, 20-25 on Labor Day. The Wildcats already own victories this season over No. 23 Utah and No. 18 USC. Led by sophomore outside hitter Leah Edmond, a 2016 AVCA Third Team All-American who averages 4.38 kills, 1.77 digs, 0.54 blocks and 0.31 aces per set, Kentucky is 2-0 at neutral sites this season.
 
Edmond receives support from freshman outside hitter Avery Skinner, who contributes 3.25 kills per set. As a team, Kentucky is hitting .276.
 
HOW ABOUT HEATHER
In her first two years on the Loyola roster, junior Heather Kocken saw limited action and totaled just nine kills, all of which came in 2016. At last weekend's Rambler Challenge, however, the 6-foot-1 outside hitter showed signs of becoming a key contributor this season by totaling 27 kills in three matches, including a career-best 14 in Loyola's four-set victory over Samford on September 3. In the win over Samford, Kocken hit .500 (14-1-26).
 
Kocken's sister, Jackie, completed her eligibility at Loyola last fall and averaged 1.19 kills and 0.76 blocks per set in 2016. She played two years at Marquette (2013-14) before transferring to Loyola to conclude her playing career.
 
THE GREAT GRESHAM
Morgan Gresham had a weekend to remember at the Rambler Challenge, averaging 2.91 kills and 2.73 digs per set, while tallying double-digit kills in two of Loyola's three matches. The junior outside hitter earned Rambler Challenge All-Tournament Team honors for her weekend efforts and she now ranks second on the team with 47 kills and 2.14 kills per set.
 
The Wildwood, Mo., native crushed a career-best 13 kills and added nine digs and a pair of blocks in a four-set loss to Fairfield on September 1. After recording nine kills and six digs against Milwaukee one day later, Gresham accounted for 10 kills and 15 digs, two shy of her career high, to power the Ramblers to a win over Samford on September 3.
 
Gresham's double-double against Samford was her first since going for 10 kills and a personal-best 17 digs against New Hampshire in her collegiate debut on August 28, 2015.
 
UP NEXT
Loyola hosts city rival DePaul on September 12 before traveling to Purdue to compete in the Stacey Clark Classic, September 16-17.