Game Notes
Live Stats vs. Kennesaw State | Live Video vs. Kennesaw State
Live Stats vs. Samford | Live Video vs. Samford
Live Stats vs. McNeese State | Live Video vs. McNeese State

CHICAGO (August 23, 2018) - Loyola raises the curtain on the 2018 season and the Amanda Berkley era this weekend when it travels to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in the Courtyard by Marriott Samford Invitational. The Ramblers will look to build on the momentum they created at the end of the season last fall when they captured four of their final seven contests. Loyola is also seeking its first tournament title since claiming the crown at the Demon Deacon Invite hosted by Wake Forest in September 2015. En route to a first-place finish at that event, the Ramblers knocked off Charleston, Davidson and Wake Forest.

Scouting Kennesaw State
The Owls are coming off of a 21-win season in 2017 that culminated with a trip to the NCAA tournament. Kennesaw State returns four of its top five kill producers from a year ago, including senior outside hitter Sydni Shelton (.232, 213 kills, 67 blocks). 

Scouting Samford
Samford went 13-18 last season and welcomes back five players who hammered out 100 or more kills last fall, led by senior outside hitter Krista Boesing (.185, 501 kills, 155 digs, 56 blocks). Last season, the Bulldogs went 1-3 at home in nonconference play but they have prevailed in two of their last three matches at the Pete Hanna Center.

Scouting McNeese State
Last season, McNeese State notched a 19-12 overall mark, its best showing since 2007, and returns four starters from that squad. Junior outside hitter Keegan Nelms, who cracked a team-best 306 kills a year ago, leads a McNeese attack that hit .221 as a team in 2017. The Cowgirls open the 2018 season by playing 15 of their first 16 contests away from home.

The Great Gabi
Despite battling injuries last season, senior Gabi Maciagowski led the team in total kills (260) and enters her final campaign as a Rambler needing 140 kills to become the first Rambler since Morgan Reardon in 2016 to reach the 1,000 mark for her career. 

The outside hitter/right side closed out the 2017 season by recording double-digit kills in each of the final five matches, including a pair of double-doubles. Over the final four contests, the Toronto native contributed 3.79 kills and 2.57 digs per set. A year ago, she got off to a strong start, earning Cal Molten Classic All-Tournament Team accolades after racking up 37 kills and seven blocks in three matches at the season-opening tournament. In Loyola's victory over Kennesaw State in 2015, Maciagowski ripped 10 kills.