CHICAGO (October 2, 2021)
 
In Short
Karlie McNabb ripped a career-high 17 kills and Emily Banitt added 15 kills of her own to spark Loyola University Chicago (11-5, 4-0 MVC) to its fourth straight win overall and fifth in a row at home with a 28-26, 25-13, 20-25, 25-17 decision over Indiana State (9-4, 1-2 MVC) this afternoon at Gentile Arena.
 
How It Happened
After falling behind 4-1 in the first set, Loyola got a kill from McNabb to ignite an 11-3 run that at one point featured five unanswered points and was capped by an Addie Barnes service ace that moved the Ramblers on top, 12-7. Loyola was unable to sustain that lead, however, and the Sycamores raced back and held a 23-21 edge before the Ramblers staged another late rally that has become a staple of this year's club. Back-to-back kills from Banitt and Anna Feldkamp tied the score and then after the teams traded points for a brief period, McNabb swatted another kill and Banitt finished off the set with a solo block for a thrilling 28-26 Loyola win.
 
The Ramblers' late comeback seemed to take the win out of Indiana State's sails in set two, with Loyola hitting a dominating .407 (14-3-27) as it coasted to a 25-13 decision. A pair of kills from Feldkamp punctuated a string of four answered tallies that gave the Ramblers the lead for good at 8-4 and from there the rout was on. ISU crept within 9-7 but a 10-2 Loyola stretch that featured three Banitt kills was the knockout blow.
 
Indiana State scored the first five points of the third set, then held off a furious rally to claim a 25-20 victory and force a fourth set. Trailing 13-5, the Ramblers spun off six consecutive points, four of which came on kills from McNabb, to make it a game again. Later, a Taylor Venuto service ace trimmed the Sycamores' advantage to a single tally (18-17), but two Ashley Eck aces were part of an ensuing 4-0 ISU run that sealed the outcome.
 
Loyola turned in another dominating effort in a 25-17 victory in set four, hitting a robust .472 (18-1-36). The Ramblers led from start to finish in the set and crushed Indiana State's hopes with a 7-1 run that was capped by another kill from McNabb, turning a one-point lead into a 12-5 advantage.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• McNabb, who hit a scintillating .484 (17-2-31), nearly recorded a double-double, adding nine digs and four blocks to her career-high 17 kills.
• Banitt had 15 kills and four blocks and Banes kicked in nine kills and 14 digs.
• Venuto recorded seven kills and a team-best six blocks, with Grace Hinchman also providing 24 digs.
• Both Jenna Appel (25 assists, 11 digs) and Lane Jenkins (28 assists, 14 digs) registered a double-double for Loyola, which hit .267 (60-20-150) for the match.
• Madeline Williams had 11 kills to pace Indiana State, which dropped its second straight outing.

 
Up Next
The Ramblers wrap up a busy stretch of three matches in four days when they host Northern Iowa Monday (Oct. 4) at 6 p.m.