Boxscore

PEORIA, Ill. (October 19, 2019)
 
In Short
Addie Barnes and Taylor Venuto each pounded out double-digit kills to lead Loyola University Chicago (14-7, 7-1 MVC) to a bounce-back 25-19, 27-25, 25-20 victory over Bradley (9-10, 5-3 MVC) tonight at Renaissance Coliseum. The win moves the Ramblers into a first-place tie with UNI in the Missouri Valley Conference race and Loyola is now 11-2 in its last 13 contests.
 
How It Happened
Thanks to some big plays from Elle Van Grinsven, Loyola seized a 9-5 lead at the outset of the first set. Bradley stormed back though, manufacturing a 6-1 run to claim its first lead of the night (11-10). With her team trailing 16-14, Van Grinsven delivered the final of her four kills in the set to ignite a 4-0 spurt that put the Ramblers ahead for good, at 18-16. Bradley closed within a point on a pair of occasions, but a 5-0 burst highlighted by a pair of aces from Barnes, sealed a 25-19 Loyola win.
 
Bradley used a string of six unanswered points to grab a 9-4 lead in set two before Loyola roared back, scoring six of the next seven points to knot the score at 10-10. Four consecutive tallies by the Braves turned a one-point Loyola advantage into a 23-20 Bradley lead, but Addie Barnes strapped the team on her back and posted two kills in a 3-0 burst that tied the score yet again. With the Braves serving set point, Barnes hammered home another kill, which was followed by a Venuto/Sarah Murczek block and a Braves error, to cap a stirring, come-from-behind, 27-25 decision in favor of the Ramblers.
 
Consecutive kills from Venuto snapped a 10-all tie and put the Ramblers on top to stay in the third set. Once the Braves trimmed the deficit to 17-16, two kills apiece from Barnes and Heather Kocken were part of a decisive 7-2 run that bumped the Loyola advantage to 24-18 on the way to a 25-20 victory.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Barnes notched another double-double, collecting 13 kills and 14 digs to go with a pair of aces.
• Venuto hit .526 (10-0-19) and Van Grinsven contributed nine kills, four digs, three blocks and an ace for the Maroon and Gold.
• Hannah Thompson provided 10 kills and 17 digs to pace Bradley, which hit just .129 (33-17-124) for the match.

 
Up Next
Tonight's win sets up a battle on Monday between the teams tied atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Loyola will host UNI Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at Gentile Arena.