Game Notes
Live Video vs. Valparaiso | Live Stats vs. Valparaiso
Live Video vs. Drake | Live Stats vs. Drake

CHICAGO (September 25, 2019) - Following a second straight winning nonconference portion of the season, the Loyola women's volleyball team opens up Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with home matches versus Valparaiso and Drake. Head coach Amanda Berkley's squad will be looking to get off to a similar start as it did a year ago, when the Ramblers captured their first three Valley contests for their best conference start since joining the league for the 2013 season. After getting off to a 1-3 start, Loyola has won six of its last nine matches, going 2-1 in each of its last three in-season tournaments.

Loyola is looking to post its second straight winning season. The last time the Ramblers recorded back-to-back winning campaigns was when they did so in eight straight seasons, 1997 through 2004. Over that eight-year period, Loyola went 171-81 (.679) overall and 85-19 (.817) in conference play, reaching the NCAA tournament on three occasions, while averaging 21 wins per season. As it begins its seventh season in the Missouri Valley Conference, Loyola will look to shatter the school record for Valley wins in a single campaign (9, set in both 2015 and 2016). The Ramblers have never finished higher than sixth in the MVC.

Scouting Valparaiso

Valparaiso, which has lost five of its last six matches and is 2-4 in true road contests this season, is coming off a three-set setback at Milwaukee Tuesday night. Junior middle hitter Peyton McCarthy leads the Valpo attack with a team-best 2.98 kills per set and is hitting at a .289 (152-59-322) efficiency rate.

Since joining The Valley, Loyola is 0-4 against the Crusaders, including a pair of heartbreaking five-set losses last fall.  

Scouting Drake

The Bulldogs snapped a five-match slide with a five-set victory over North Carolina A&T last Saturday. Before making the trip to Chicago Monday, Drake will host Indiana State and Evansville, September 27 and 28, Junior Emily Plock (3.13 kills per set) and freshman Haley Bush (3.81 kps) provide a potent one-two punch.

Loyola is 9-3 versus Drake since joining the Valley and last season the teams split the regular-season encounters with the home team winning each matchup.
 

Welcome Addie-tion

Addie Barnes has quickly established herself as a threat and has notched five double-doubles and has eight matches with double-figure kills this season. Barnes ranks second in the MVC and 42nd in the nation with 0.41 service aces per set and when she serves three or more aces this season, Loyola is 3-1. Her 17 kills versus Western Michigan September 7 were the most by a Loyola freshman since Elle Van Grinsven in 2017 (19).

Named MVC Freshman of the Week on September 23, Barnes has produced 10 or more kills in each of the last three outings and in her last two appearances at Gentile Arena, is posting 4.00 kills and 2.71 digs per set, while owning a .339 (28-8-59) hitting percentage. She is looking to become the first true freshman to lead Loyola in total kills since Morgan Reardon in 2013.

Up Next

Loyola heads to Indiana State (Oct. 4) and Evansville (Oct. 5) next weekend.