CHICAGO (October 13, 2021) - Winner of six straight matches, Loyola gets back on the road for the first time in three weeks when it travels to Illinois State and Bradley for a pair of key Missouri Valley Conference showdowns. The Ramblers, who own a two-match lead atop The Valley standings, have won each of their last three regular-season road contests in league play dating back to last season. Loyola's 6-0 league start matches the 2019 squad for the program's best opening to Valley play since joining the conference in 2013.

This marks the second time in the last three seasons that Loyola has won its first six Valley matches. A win at Illinois State would give the Ramblers their best start in conference play since going 7-0 to commence Horizon League competition in 2001. The last time Loyola won its first eight conference tilts was in 2000 as a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

The last time Loyola won four straight conference road matches was in 2015 when it picked up wins at Bradley, Evansville, Southern Illinois and Missouri State.

Loyola is 12-0 this season when it captures set one and has won each of its last 14 matches when it claims the opening act. In fact, since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, the Ramblers are 22-1 when winning the first set of a match. 

Under fourth-year head coach Amanda Berkley, Loyola is 14-6 (.700) in the month of October. 

During its current six-match winning streak, Loyola is hitting .258 (323-118-794) as a team and over the last four contests, opponents have mustered a paltry .141 hitting percentage (158-86-509).

Over the last four matches, sophomore Anna Feldkamp is averaging 1.43 kills per set but is hitting at an impressive .349 (20-5-43) clip.

Loyola is 6-1 this year when Kelsey Watson posts five or more blocks. The sophomore middle hitter is notching 1.29 kills and 0.86 blocks per set, while hitting .341 (18-4-41), over the last four outings. She averaged 1.83 kills per set in two matches at Bradley last season. 

Taylor Made

Taylor Venuto enters this week's action ranked second in The Valley with a .341 (169-51-346) hitting percentage, and her 10 kills versus Valparaiso last Friday were her most since September 17 when she drilled 11 kills against DePaul. Venuto paced the conference with 1.19 blocks per set last season and dating back to her rookie campaign in 2019, Loyola has prevailed in each of the last nine matches in which she has slapped 13 or more kills. Over the last two outings, Venuto is putting up 2.14 blocks per set and her 12 rejections against UIC on September 18 were the fourth-highest, single-match total in program history. As a rookie, she led the MVC with a .337 (310-75-697) hitting percentage and has tallied eight or more kills in nine of the last 11 matches overall. Venuto has posted double-digit kills in each of her three career matches at Bradley and has hit .321 (21-4-53) against Illinois State at Redbird Arena.

Scouting Illinois State

Illinois State, the defending MVC Tournament champion, had a modest two-match winning streak halted with a three-set loss at Evansville on October 9. The Redbirds, who have played a challenging schedule this fall, have split their first eight matches at home. Outside hitters Tamara Otene and Sarah Kushner, a Preseason All-MVC selection, have provided the bulk of the ISU offense, averaging 3.66 and 3.23 kills per set respectively. Loyola has stumbled in each of its last 11 meetings with Illinois State and it is seeking its first victory over the Redbirds in Normal since November 2, 2013 in the Ramblers' first season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Scouting Bradley

Preseason All-MVC outside hitter Hannah Thompson paces the Braves, who are just 4-4 at home this season, with 3.12 kills and 3.68 digs per set. Bradley has won four of its last five matches overall and is coming off a four-set victory at Indiana State last Saturday. After dropping their first three outings at Renaissance Coliseum this fall, the Braves have captured four of the last five contests on their home floor. Loyola has prevailed in 10 of the last 15 matchups with Bradley overall and the teams have split the last eight meetings in Peoria. Last season, the Braves swept the season series, taking both matches from the Ramblers in straight sets at Renaissance Coliseum.

Up Next

Loyola returns to the Windy City and puts its unblemished record at home on the line when it hosts Southern Illinois (Oct. 22) and Missouri State (Oct. 23) next weekend.