Boxscore 

CHICAGO (September 27, 2019)
 
In Short
Elle Van Grinsven and Taylor Venuto recorded 11 kills apiece to lead Loyola University Chicago (8-6, 1-0 MVC) to a 25-12, 25-17, 25-22 decision over visiting Valparaiso (5-10, 0-1 MVC) tonight at Gentile Arena in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both squads. The Ramblers have now won seven of their last 10 matches overall and captured their Valley opener for the second time in as many seasons under second-year head coach Amanda Berkley.
 
How It Happened
Valpo upped its lead to 8-6 on a kill from Maddy Boyer early in the opening set, and from that point on, Loyola was unstoppable as it coasted to a 25-12 victory. A kill from Van Grinsven ignited a string of six unanswered points, four of which came courtesy of Crusaders hitting errors, giving the Ramblers a 12-8 lead they would never relinquish. After Valpo closed within 14-11, Loyola finished out the set by tallying 11 of the final 12 points, with Van Grinsven punctuating that run with consecutive stops to finish off the set.
 
A quick start to set two saw the Ramblers dart out to a 4-1 lead, only to see Valpo march back and even the proceedings at 5-5. But a kill from Sarah Murczek, a block from Van Grinsven and Delilah Wolf and a Quinn Spieker service ace put the Ramblers back on top (8-5) and the Crusaders never got closer than two points the remainder of the way. Valpo closed the gap to three one final time, at 13-10, but kills from Venuto and Murczek bookended a Van Grinsven block that pushed the Loyola lead back to six (16-10) and the hosts would roll to a 25-17 victory.
 
Loyola shook off a sluggish start that saw it fall into a 6-2 hole early in the third set before it rallied for a 25-22 victory to earn the sweep. Trailing 8-7, the Ramblers used an Addie Barnes kill to draw even, then proceeded to run off five more unanswered points in a 6-0 spurt that featured three kills from Barnes and a pair of Van Grinsven aces to stake claim to a 13-8 advantage. The Crusaders wouldn't go quietly into the night and roared back to slice the Loyola lead to 16-15, but three straight points allowed the Ramblers to exhale as they pushed the edge to 19-15.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• In addition to her season-high 11 kills, Van Grinsven, who hit .667 (11-1-15) on the night, delivered a career-best nine blocks and added two digs and a pair of aces.
• Loyola's attack was as potent as it has been all season in the opening two sets, hitting a whopping .354 (28-5-65).
• Venuto hit .526 (11-1-19) and Barnes fell just short of another double-double, totaling nine kills and nine digs.
• Spieker was impressive off the bench, serving up a career-best five aces and adding seven digs, while setter Katie Mather produced 18 assists and 11 digs.
• Jillie Grant led Valparaiso, which hit only .036 (24-20-111) with eight kills.

 
Up Next
Loyola closes out a brief homestand Monday (Sept. 30) when MVC rival Drake pays a visit to Gentile Arena. First serve is slated for 6 p.m.