Boxscore (PDF)

CHICAGO (November 2, 2018)
 
In Short
Loyola University Chicago (15-11, 7-7 MVC) won the first two sets but was unable to close out the match in a heartbreaking 25-15, 25-22, 16-25, 20-25, 12-15 loss to Valparaiso (22-7, 9-5 MVC) tonight at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers saw a three-match winning streak on their home floor come to a close despite double-double outputs from both Delilah Wolf and Quinn Spieker.
 
How It Happened
Valparaiso scored the first three points of the opening set before Loyola settled itself and put together a 6-1 run, that featured two kills and a block assist from Gabi Maciagowski, to take the lead for good. The Ramblers created some separation by ripping off four unanswered points, highlighted by back-to-back blocks from Elle Van Grinsven and Wolf, to turn a one-point game into a 17-12 lead, and they would coast to a 25-15 victory, thanks to a .448 (15-2-29) hitting percentage.
 
A Morgan Gresham kill sparked a run of four consecutive tallies that turned a one-point deficit into a 19-16 lead in set two and Loyola was able to hold off a couple of Crusaders surges for a 25-22 decision that gave it a 2-0 lead in the contest. Valpo cut the Ramblers' edge to 22-21 but a kill and then a service ace, one of her four on the night, from Spieker, put the set out of reach.
 
After hitting .371 in the first two sets, Loyola's attack sputtered beginning in set three. A 6-1 run gave Valpo command of the set and a 10-4 advantage, although the Ramblers wouldn't go down without a fight. Three straight kills by Van Grinsven, Wolf and Gresham sliced a six-point disadvantage down to 17-14, but the Crusaders would counter with three unanswered scores of their own to seal the outcome in a 25-16 victory.
 
Loyola bolted out to an early 6-2 in the fourth set, but Valpo slowly chipped away and took the lead for good on Lizzie Zaleski's kill that snapped a 17-17 stalemate. That kill was part of another decisive 6-1 surge that provided the Crusaders with a five-point lead and they never looked back on their way to a 25-20 win that sent the Ramblers to a fifth set for just the fourth time this season, but the second time in as many meetings with Valpo.
 
Things appeared bleak for Loyola in the fifth set when Valpo accounted for the first three points as part of a set-opening 10-4 run. However, the Ramblers showed their resolve, battling back to tie the set at 10 thanks to three kills from Gresham in that run. The teams exchanged points for a brief period before an Allison Ketcham kill gave Valpo the lead for good, at 13-12, and it would pick up an improbable 15-12 victory to open up a two-match lead on Loyola for fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Spieker racked up 13 kills, 11 digs and four aces for Loyola, which also received 13 kills and four blocks from Heather Kocken.
• Maciagowski accounted for 11 kills, while Van Grinsven pitched in eight kills and seven blocks.
• Wolf produced 48 assists, 13 digs and four blocks.
• Valpo's Katherine Carlson led all players with 24 kills and added 16 digs.

 
Up Next
Loyola is off until it opens up its final weekend of home matches November 9 versus Illinois State.