Boxscore (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (August 25, 2018)
 
In Short
Loyola University Chicago's resilience was on display once again as it had to mount huge rallies to win two of its sets in a 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16 victory over McNeese State (0-3) this afternoon at the Courtyard by Marriott Samford Invitational. The win moves the Ramblers to 1-2 on the year and is first-year coach Amanda Berkley's first triumph on the Loyola sideline.
 
How It Happened
Loyola fell behind by as many as seven points in the first set before staging another spirited comeback, stunning McNeese State for six straight points, two of which came on kills from Delilah Wolf, as part of a 9-1 run that gave the Ramblers a 21-20 lead. After the Cowgirls moved back on top, at 23-22, Gabi Maciagowski crushed back-to-back kills and then teamed up with Heather Kocken to thwart a McNeese attack for set point and an improbable 25-23 Loyola victory. 
 
Morgan Gresham began to heat up in set two and tallied three straight kills for Loyola as it took a two-point lead (8-6) in the early going. A 6-1 Cowgirls run quickly erased the Ramblers' advantage however, and McNeese's lead would grow to as many as five points (17-12). Based on how the first couple sets of the season have gone, it should come as no surprise that Loyola staged a rally, using a 4-1 run to slice a four-point deficit to a 22-21 margin. But, that's as close as Loyola would get, as McNeese was able to hold off the hard-charging Ramblers by tallying two of the final three points for a 25-23 decision that deadlocked the match at a set apiece.
 
Stop if you've heard this before, but Loyola dug itself an eight-point hole, falling behind 15-7, and later trailed 19-13, when it proceeded to kick things into another gear. Haley Hoffman entered the match off the bench and provided a huge lift for the sluggish Ramblers, delivering four kills and four blocks in a set-closing 12-3 surge that sent the Ramblers past the Cowgirls, 25-22.
 
Loyola pulled away in a tightly contested early portion of set four, scoring three unanswered points to turn a one-point lead into a 16-12 advantage. After McNeese trimmed the Ramblers' lead down to three (17-14), Loyola sealed the outcome, finishing off the set, and match, on an 8-2 run capped by a Quinn Spieker kill, for a 25-16 decision and head coach Amanda Berkley's first win as Loyola's coach.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Maciagowski shook off a slow start to finish with 12 kills, seven digs and five blocks, while Spieker was the lone other Rambler in double-figure kills with 10.
• Hoffman provided a huge spark off the bench, accounting for six kills and five blocks, and Gresham recorded nine kills and seven digs. 
• Alex Nunez, who was Loyola's lone representative on the all-tournament team, totaled 15 digs, four assists and a pair of aces.
• Katelyn Elliott led McNeese State with 14 kills.

 
Up Next
The Ramblers return home next weekend to host the Hampton Inn Rambler Challenge. Loyola welcomes Furman, Georgia State and Marshall to Gentile Arena for round-robin play, August 31 and September 1.