CHICAGO (October 1, 2021)
 
In Short
Three players tallied nine kills each and Loyola University Chicago (10-5, 3-0 MVC) hit .312 (44-14-96) as a team in a 25-20, 25-19, 25-15 victory over Evansville (10-3, 0-2 MVC) in front of a boisterous crowd at Gentile Arena tonight. The victory extends the Ramblers' win streak at Gentile Arena to four matches and they have now claimed 11 of their last 13 matchups with the Purple Aces.
 
How It Happened
Kills from Karlie McNabb and Addie Barnes, along with three Evansville errors, allowed the Ramblers to jump out to a 5-1 lead they would never relinquish in a 25-20 decision in the opening set.  Loyola's lead swelled to eight points (19-11), but the Purple Aces staged a comeback and sliced the deficit in half, getting within 19-15, before McNabb and Anna Feldkamp swatted kills in a 4-1 spurt that pushed the advantage to 23-16. Four unanswered Evansville scores made things interesting, but Loyola held off the late surge and Emily Banitt's kill finished off a 25-20 contest.
 
Loyola hit .361 (15-2-36) in the second set as Banitt smashed four kills to highlight a 25-19 win. Again, the Ramblers charged out of the gates, scoring four of the first five points in a 10-4 run to open the set. The lead would balloon to 15-8 when Banitt and Taylor Venuto teamed up on one of the team's five blocks in the set, but the Aces roared back and a Rachel Basiniski service ace brought UE within a single tally, at 18-17, forcing a Rambler timeout. Coming out of the timeout, kills from Feldkamp and Barnes, along with a Feldkamp/Kelsey Watson block, gave Loyola breathing room and expanded the advantage to 21-17.
 
Barnes and McNabb combined for nine kills to spark Loyola to a dominant 25-15 win in set three to complete the clean sweep. Another quick start saw the hosts account for nine of the first 11 points of the set, which allowed Loyola to put things on cruise control the rest of the way. Two kills and a solo block from Barnes provided the bulk of the damage in the initial burst that sealed the outcome.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• Barnes racked up nine kills, nine digs, two aces and a block to lead Loyola's attack, which also received nine kills and seven digs from McNabb and nine kills and three blocks from Banitt.
• Venuto tacked on five kills, a team-best five blocks and an ace, with Watson and Feldkamp also pitching in five kills apiece.
• Lane Jenkins recorded a double-double with 13 assists and 10 digs.
• The crowd of 704 fans also featured a record-setting number of Loyola student fans.
• Evansville got a team-high 15 kills and 10 digs from Alondra Vazquez, who was limited to a .205 (15-6-44) attack percentage.

 
Up Next
Loyola continues a four-match homestand tomorrow afternoon when it faces Indiana State at 4 p.m. CT. The Sycamores saw their eight-match winning streak screech to a halt with a three-set loss at Valparaiso Friday night.