Boxscore

DES MOINES, Iowa (November 23, 2019)
 
In Short
Three players totaled double-figure kills, paced by Addie Barnes and Heather Kocken with 16 apiece, to lead Loyola University Chicago (21-10, 14-4 MVC) to a 25-13, 25-22, 19-25, 17-25, 15-10 victory over host Drake (10-22, 3-15 MVC) tonight at Knapp Center in the regular-season finale for both teams. The win established a new single-season program record for conference victories (14) for the Ramblers, surpassing the previous standard of 13 set by both the 2001 and 2002 teams in Horizon League play.
 
How It Happened
Behind a powerful offensive attack that hit .357 (15-5-28) in the opening set, Loyola breezed to a 25-13 victory. The Ramblers used a 5-0 run to turn a slim one-point lead into an 11-5 advantage and never looked back.
 
Things looked bleak for the Ramblers late in set two when they trailed 20-18. However, a kill from Elle Van Grinsven completely shifted momentum and changed the course of the set. Barnes and Taylor Venuto teamed up for a block, Barnes followed with a kill and Sarah Murczek capped a string of four unanswered points with a service ace to put Loyola ahead to stay, at 22-20, on its way to a 25-22 decision.
 
Loyola's offense got off kilter in the third set following a kill from Quinn Spieker that gave the Maroon and Gold a 14-12 advantage. Drake mounted a comeback, getting two aces from Kylee Macke and a pair of kills from Emily Plock as part of a 7-0 burst that put the Bulldogs out in front, 19-14, on their way to a 25-19 victory. The Ramblers wound up with 10 kills and 10 errors as a team in the set.
 
Drake carried that wave of momentum into the fourth set and grabbed an early lead and never surrendered in a 25-17 decision that forced a fifth set.
 
Kocken came up big in the fifth set, recording three kills during a game-changing 7-2 run that broke an early tie and put the Ramblers ahead, 9-4. The Bulldogs worked their way back into the set though, stringing together six of the next eight points to get within 11-10, but Barnes ripped three kills and Kocken added one more of her own as Loyola closed out the match with four consecutive points for a 15-10 victory.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• The Ramblers won their fifth consecutive five-set match to improve to 5-2 in conests that have gone the distance this season.
• Kocken's 16 kills are her most since blasting 16 at Toledo August 31. She finished tonight hitting at a .483 (16-2-29) clip.
• In what has become commonplace, Barnes registered another double-double, her 19^thof the season, finishing with 16 kills and 14 digs, while adding three aces.
• Spieker contributed 13 kills, 16 digs, three aces and three blocks and Maddy Moser accumulated 21 digs.
• Drake' Emily Plock led all players with 26 kills. 
• Loyola's 21 wins are its most since a 22-9 campaign in 2004 and its second-place finish in the MVC regular-season standings is the program's best showing in conference play since taking second in the Horizon League in 2003.

 
Up Next
Loyola has earned the No. 2 seed at next week's MVC Championship, which will be hosted by the University of Northern Iowa. The Ramblers will open play in Friday's semifinal round at 7:30 p.m. CT when they take on the winner of the Illinois State versus Evansville match, which will be played Thursday.