Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (September 7, 2018)
 
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago (6-2) extended its winning streak to six games this evening as it picked up a 25-22, 25-20. 26-24 victory over host Western Michigan (6-3) at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center Tournament this evening inside University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.
 
How It Happened
Both teams struggled to gain separation early on in the first set.  With the score tied at 9-9, Western Michigan used a 3-0 spurt that was aided by a pair of Rambler attack errors to open up a 12-9 edge.  With the deficit sitting at 17-14, two Heather Kocken kills helped spark a 6-2 run that pushed the Ramblers in front, 20-19.  Western Michigan would battle back to tie the score at 22 apiece but Loyola would finish strong, scoring the set's final three points, the last of which came on a block by Delilah Wolf and Elle Van Grinsven, to clinch a 25-22 win.
 
Loyola got off to a fast start in set two, with a Gabi Maciagowski block helping the Maroon & Gold out to a 4-2 lead.  The Ramblers kept their foot on the gas, extending the margin to 9-4 on a kill by Quinn Spieker.  Kocken's ninth kill of the night gave Loyola its largest lead of the second set, 24-17, as the Ramblers cruised to a 25-20 victory to open up a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Western Michigan came out firing to begin the third set, racing out to a 5-0 lead behind a pair of Rachel Bontrager kills.  Slowly but surely, Loyola began to chip away, eventually pulling even at 8-8 following a kill from Wolf.  Spieker and Morgan Gresham helped Loyola edge in front, 12-9, before Western Michigan answered back to knot the set up at 12-12.  With Loyola clinging to a 17-16 lead, the Broncos looked to be on their way to forcing a fourth set after using a 6-0 run to forge in front, 22-16.  Loyola would respond, battling back to 23-23 on a Van Grinsven kill.  The Ramblers would go on to fight off a set point before Gresham slammed the door shut with a kill to punctuate a 26-24 triumph.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Loyola's current six-match winning streak is its longest since an 11-game tear during the 2015 season.  The Ramblers have now exceeded their win total from all of last season.
- Spieker posted a double-double (11 kills, 12 digs) to lead the Rambler attack.  She was joined in double figures in kills by Kocken and Gresham, who each tallied 10 kills apiece.
- Wolf finished with a match-high 40 assists, while Alex Nunez recorded 16 digs.
- Bontrager closed the night with a match-high 17 kills.
 
Up Next
Loyola closes out play at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center Tournament on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when it takes on Canisius.