Boxscore 

CHICAGO (September 20, 2019)
 
In Short
Heather Kocken and Addie Barnes tallied 15 kills apiece to lead Loyola University Chicago (6-5) to a thrilling 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 17-15 victory over Northwestern (7-3) this afternoon in the opening match of the Chicago Cup at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park. The win is the Ramblers' third in a row overall and their first over the Wildcats since 2008.
 
Coach Amanda Berkley's Thoughts
"This one is huge for us. Our team competed and they believed and they played loose but had fun. I'm proud of them for finding a way to pull through. It's great for this young of a group to find success against a good, quality opponent. Heather was awesome today and has stepped up her level of play this season. I'm proud of the way she came to play today. She was jumping out of the gym."
 
How It Happened
Loyola got off to a blazing start to begin the match, scoring the first four points as part of a 6-1 set-opening run. Northwestern, which is coached by former Loyola men's volleyball coach Shane Davis, would rally and eventually closed within 14-13, but Loyola was able to build its lead back up to four points (20-16), reaching that margin on a Maddy Moser service ace. The Ramblers clung to a 23-20 lead late, but Northwestern stormed back, notching the final five points of the set, the last two coming on blocks, for a 25-23 decision.
 
A potent Ramblers attack hit .317 (17-4-41) in set two on the way to a 25-20 victory that knotted the match at a set each. Another quick start benefitted Loyola, which jumped out to a 4-1 lead but the Wildcats charged back to deliver six of the next eight points in claiming a very short-lived 7-6 edge. Three unanswered Loyola points put the Maroon and Gold ahead to stay, at 10-7. Although Northwestern closed the gap to 12-11, it would get no closer as the Ramblers pulled away thanks to a 4-0 burst that featured kills from four different players, and gave Loyola a 16-11 lead.
 
Another hot start sparked Loyola in the third set as it picked up five of the first six points and never looked back en route to a 25-19 victory. Northwestern worked its way back within two points, at 8-6, but Loyola would reclaim momentum by tallying seven of the next 11 points, capped by a block from Delilah Wolf, to open up a 15-10 advantage. 
 
Northwestern took control of the fourth set by using a 6-0 spurt to turn a one-point deficit into an 8-3 lead it would never relinquish. Loyola fell behind by as many as five points early (12-7) before working its way back within a point (13-12). However, the Wildcats responded by ripping off five of the next six scores to extend their advantage to 18-13 and never looked back on the way to a 25-17 decision that sent the match the distance.
 
In the fifth set, Loyola showed its resolve by overcoming a daunting 4-0 deficit to pull out a thrilling 17-15 victory. With the score deadlocked at 15-15, Kocken delivered her 15^thkill of the match to put the Ramblers ahead and Quinn Spieker finished off the victory with the Ramblers' seventh ace of the day.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Four Ramblers totaled double-digit kills led by Kocken and Barnes with 15 apiece. Kocken pitched in seven digs and four blocks, while Barnes added 12 digs and a pair of aces.
• Taylor Venuto and Sarah Murczek notched 10 kills each, with Murczek also contributing 16 digs.
• Moser was solid in the back row, contributing 22 digs and a pair of aces and Elle Van Grinsven recorded eight kills. 
• Temi Thomas-Allara led Northwestern with 17 kills.

 
Up Next
Loyola finishes up play at the Chicago Cup tomorrow when it faces DePaul at 12:30 p.m. and UIC at 5:30 p.m.