Boxscore 

CHICAGO (September 30, 2019)
 
In Short
Four players pounded out 10 or more kills and Loyola University Chicago (9-6, 2-0 MVC) outlasted Drake (7-9, 1-2 MVC), 27-25, 25-23, 26-28, 25-18 tonight in Missouri Valley Conference action at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers have now won six of their last seven outings and have started Valley play 2-0 for the second straight year.
 
How It Happened
Loyola had to come from behind to secure wins in the first two sets. In the opener, after Drake put up seven unanswered scores to erase a one-point deficit and take a 13-7 advantage,the Ramblers charged back and reclaimed the lead at 23-22 on an Elle Van Grinsven/Addie Barnes block. Drake immediately drew even on a Gillian Gergen kill and the teams exchanged points until Taylor Venuto hammered home a kill and then paired up with Heather Kocken for a block to complete a stirring comeback that gave the Ramblers a 27-25 victory.
 
Much like the first set, the Bulldogs built a seemingly comfortable 15-9 lead before Loyola gathered itself and rallied for another gritty win. With her team trailing by six, Van Grinsven started the Ramblers' rally with a block, igniting an 11-4 run that also featured four kills and an ace from Barnes, the latter of which put Loyola ahead, 20-19. Back-to-back Bulldogs tallies put Loyola in the hole once again, but a Kocken/Venuto block, a kill from Van Grinsven and a Drake error put the Ramblers ahead to stay, at 24-21, and they would hold on for a 25-23 decision. 
 
Loyola nearly pulled off another stunning comeback in set three after digging itself a six-point deficit in the early going. Van Grinsven had a hand in four blocks that were instrumental in a 9-2 burst that gave the Ramblers a short-lived 16-15 lead. Drake surged back ahead and led by as many as three points, the last coming at 23-20, until Loyola mounted one final comeback. Van Grinsven contributed a kill and a block during an 5-2 spurt that knotted the score at 25-25, but Drake pulled out a 28-26 victory, scoring three of the final four points of the set to stay alive in the match.
 
In the fourth set, the Ramblers grabbed an early lead and never let go on the way to a 25-18 decision. Clinging to a one-point advantage early, Van Grinsven again played a big part in a decisive stretch, producing two kills and teaming up with Delilah Wolf for a pair of blocks in a 7-2 run that sealed the outcome.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• A host of Ramblers put up big numbers on the night with Van Grinsven tallying 12 kills and a career-best 12 blocks. Her 12 rejections are tied for the fourth-highest, single-match total in program history.
• Venuto slammed a team-high 15 kills, hitting .424 (15-1-33), and Quinn Spieker delivered 13 kills and 10 digs off the bench.
• Barnes had another solid all-around effort, racking up 14 kills, 15 digs and a pair of aces and Kocken added eight blocks.
• Defensively, Maddy Moser put up 32 digs, her second-highest total of the season, and freshman Kayla Kraus, who saw her most extended action of the year, added a season-best 19 digs. 
• Drake was led by Haley Bush's 20 kills.

 
Up Next
The Ramblers make their first Valley road trip of the year later this week when they visit Indiana State (Oct. 4) and Evansville (Oct. 5).