CHICAGO (October 20, 2021) - Loyola enters this week with a two-match lead in the Missouri Valley Conference race as it looks to claim its first regular-season conference crown since capturing the Horizon League championship in 2002. For the second time in the last three seasons, the Ramblers have opened up Valley play by winning seven of their first eight matches. Loyola has not been 8-1 or better in league play since the aforementioned 2002 campaign, when it collected wins in eight of its first nine outings.

Entering Friday's match versus Southern Illinois, Loyola is a perfect 7-0 at Gentile Arena this season. This is the first time the Ramblers have rattled off seven consecutive victories on their home court since 2008. The last time Loyola won eight straight at home in a single season was 2000. The Ramblers claimed nine consecutive home matches spanning two seasons from October 26, 2001 through October 8, 2002.

Since the start of the 2019 campaign, Loyola has won 11 of its last 13 MVC matches at Gentile Arena. Dating back to the 2019 season, the Ramblers, who played their home matches at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility in 2020-21, have prevailed in 14 of the last 16 contests on their home floor. 

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 15-7 (.682) in the month of October. 

Gentile Arena has provided a comfort level for the Ramblers this fall and they are hitting .274 (384-138-899) through seven matches there. 

Sophomore Anna Feldkamp has been sensational at home this season, tallying 1.48 kills and 0.70 blocks per set, while hitting at a sizzling .342 clip (24-9-73). The Olathe, Kan., native has fared well against Missouri State in her career, hitting .310 (12-3-29) with 2.00 kills and 0.83 blocks per set. In two matches versus Southern Illinois in 2020-21, Feldkamp put up 3.00 kills per set and hit a scalding .417 (18-3-36). Loyola is 5-1 this year when she has seven or more kills.

When Kelsey Watson totals five or more blocks, the Ramblers are 5-1 this season. The sophomore middle blocker, who is hitting .329 (37-11-79) with 1.42 kills and 1.04 blocks per set at home this year, has torched Southern Illinois in her young career to the tune of 2.20 kills per set with a hearty .349 hitting percentage (22-7-43). 
 

Scouting Southern Illinois

Since picking up back-to-back wins over USC Upstate and Alabama State in early September, the Salukis have fallen in 11 consecutive matches and most recently suffered a four-set defeat to Missouri State on October 16. Southern Illinois is 0-5 in true road matches this season and has dropped 10 straight contests away from home in Missouri Valley Conference play since a five-set win at Valparaiso on February 14. Loyola has won 11 straight matches versus the Salukis, including four in a row at Gentile Arena. Junior outside hitter Nataly Garcia leads SIU with 3.32 kills per set and she adds 2.38 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Tornatta, who puts up 2.85 kills per set, had a team-high 18 kills versus Loyola in Carbondale last month.

Scouting Missouri State

Missouri State has won three of its last four outings and enters the week coming off a 3-1 decision over Southern Illinois on October 16. The Bears are 4-3 in true road tilts this fall and have split their first four MVC matches away from home, collecting wins at Illinois State and Southern Illinois. After dropping 11 of the first 12 matches in the all-time series with Missouri State, Loyola has claimed six of the last eight matchups, including five of the last six. Two-time First Team All-MVC outside hitter Amelia Flynn, who had 17 kills against the Ramblers in Springfield last month, leads the Bears' attack with 3.45 kills per set and pitches in 2.85 digs per set. Freshman middle Maddy Bushnell leads The Valley with a .358 hitting percentage (136-36-279).
 

Up Next

Loyola travels to Indiana State (Oct. 29) and Evansville (Oct. 30) next weekend.