Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Loyola University Chicago Athletics

See Schedule
Heather Kocken
0
Marshall MAR 3-4 (0-0)
3
Winner Loyola Chicago LUC 4-2 (0-0)
Marshall MAR
3-4 (0-0)
0
Final
3
Loyola Chicago LUC
4-2 (0-0)
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Marshall MAR 20 22 15 (0)
Loyola Chicago LUC 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Ramblers Sweep Way To Tournament Title, Blank Marshall, 3-0

Loyola wins fourth in a row, takes crown at the Hampton Inn Rambler Challenge

Boxscore (PDF)

CHICAGO (September 1, 2018)
 
In Short
A balanced offensive attack, led by junior Quinn Spieker and redshirt junior Heather Kocken, who each finished with nine kills, helped Loyola University Chicago (4-2) capture a 25-20, 25-22, 25-15 victory over Marshall (3-4) for the tournament title at the Hampton Inn Rambler Challenge at Gentile Arena this afternoon. With the victory, their Ramblers extended their winning streak to four matches and they have now claimed their last 11 sets. Despite being just two weeks into the season, Loyola is one win shy of matching its total from all of last season (5).
 
How It Happened
Playing with a confidence and swagger that is growing by the day, Loyola overcame a three-point deficit early in the opener, using a string of eight consecutive points to seize a 13-8 lead it would never relinquish. Keying that decisive run was the play of senior Morgan Gresham, who recorded three of her seven kills in set one during that stretch. 
 
Kocken provided a lift in set two, accounting for five kills, including two and a block, in a 4-1 run to open play. The Ramblers were in control of a 16-15 lead when kills from Spieker and Elle Van Grinsven fueled a brief 3-0 spurt that provided Loyola with some breathing room and extended the lead to 19-15. Marshall would rally late and crept within two points on a handful of occasions, the last time coming at 24-22, but Kocken put to rest any hopes of a Thundering Herd comeback with a kill to close out a 25-22 win.
 
Loyola pulled away in the third set thanks to five unanswered points, including a pair of stops from Delilah Wolf, that turned a one-point lead into a comfortable 12-6 advantage, and from that point forward, Marshall never got closer than four points. The Ramblers saved their best hitting for last, connecting at a .300 (13-4-30) rate in the third and final set, while the Herd hit just .028 (10-9-36), as Loyola coasted to a 25-15 victory.
 
A Look At The Numbers
  • Loyola's four-match winning streak is its longest since a five-match run, October 2 through 16, 2015.
  • The tournament championship is the Ramblers' first since winning the title at the Demon Deacon Invitational hosted by Wake Forest in September 2016.
  • After winning just one of their previous seven matches at Gentile Arena prior to this weekend, the Ramblers have won three straight on their home floor.
  • Spieker was named Hampton Inn Rambler Challenge Most Valuable Player, while Wolf was also selected to the all-tournament team, along with Morgan Hash (Georgia State), Meg DeMaar (Furman), Joelle Coulter (Marshall) and Amber Weber (Marshall).
  • Kocken finished with nine kills and six blocks, hitting a whopping .562 (9-0-16) for the match.
  • Spieker pitched in eight digs and a pair of aces to go with her nine kills, while Gresham added eight stops and five digs.
  • Lauren Caprini put up 16 digs to lead a Loyola defense that limited Marshall to a .151 (36-20-106) attack percentage.
 
Up Next
Loyola is off until next weekend when it will participate in the Delta Hotel by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center Tournament hosted by Western Michigan. The Ramblers open play on Friday, Sept. 7 versus Utah State at 11:30 a.m. CT. 
 
 
 
Print Friendly Version