Game Notes
Live Video at Drake | Live Stats at Drake
Live Video at UNI | Live Stats at UNI

CHICAGO (October 24, 2018) - Winners of two straight and now tied for fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference race, Loyola hits the road for the penultimate time in the regular season this weekend as it travels to Drake and league leader UNI. The Ramblers have dropped their last three Valley contests on the road after winning their first two away from home. One year after suffering through a 5-24 season, Loyola has engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation this season, showing an eight-match improvement in the win column with at least eight more matches left to play in 2018. Through contests of October 21, the Ramblers were one of only four teams in NCAA Division I play to boast at least an eight-win improvement from a year ago. So far this season, the .250 mark appears to be the benchmark for success for the Ramblers as they are 9-1 when hitting .250 or higher. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, Loyola is 11-1 when notching a hitting percentage of .250 or better.

Scouting Drake

Since getting off to a 9-0 start, Drake has gone 7-8 and has split its last six contests since earning a 3-1 victory at Gentile Arena on September 29. At the Knapp Center this season, the Bulldogs boast a 6-3 record and have prevailed in three of their last four outings there, with the lone setback in that stretch coming in the form of a four-set loss to Illinois State.

Senior outside hitter Cathryn Cheek has pounded out a team-best 266 kills (3.59 per set) and is also contributing 2.69 digs and 0.66 blocks per set. Junior Elle Tubbs ranks second in The Valley, behind only Loyola's Lauren Caprini, with 0.32 aces per set

The Ramblers are 4-3 versus Drake in Des Moines and have won four of the last five meetings at Knapp Center.

Scouting UNI

UNI's 10-match winning streak came crashing to a halt with a four-set loss to No. 18 Marquette Sunday in Cedar Falls. The Panthers have prevailed in each of their last 10 home matches in Valley play dating back to last season.

Junior outside hitter Karlie Taylor paces a potent Panther attack with 4.81 kills per set and also pitches in 3.01 digs per set. 

Loyola is looking for its first-ever win against UNI and is 0-6 all-time against the Panthers in Cedar Falls. 

Up Next

Loyola returns to Chicago and opens a four-match homestand Monday night (Oct. 29) when it hosts Southern Illinois at 6 p.m.