CHICAGO (October 27, 2021) - Winner of nine of its last 10 matches, including each of the last three, Loyola looks to also stay hot on the road when it visits Indiana State and Evansville this weekend. The Ramblers, who have won three of their last four contests away from Chicago, need one more victory to reach double-digit Missouri Valley Conference wins for the second time in the last three seasons. Since 2005, Loyola has won 10 or more league games just one time - in 2019 when it went 14-4 in Valley play.

Loyola is 9-1 in conference action for the first time since winning nine of its first 10 matches in Horizon League play in 2002. That team finished that season with a 13-1 ledger in the Horizon League and won the regular season title.

Loyola is 14-0 this season when it captures set one and has won each of its last 16 matches when it claims the opening act. In fact, since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, the Ramblers are 24-1 when winning the first set of a match. 

Under fourth-year head coach Amanda Berkley, Loyola is 17-7 (.708) in the month of October. Berkley's niece, Katie Adams, is an assistant coach at Indiana State. 

Over the last eight matches, Loyola's defense has limited opponents to a meager .166 hitting percentage (359-184-1,054). 

Since the start of the 2019 campaign, Loyola has won 13 of its last 15 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 16 of the last 18 contests on their home floor. Loyola has been perfect at home this season (9-0) and is attempting to go undefeated on its home floor for an entire season for the first time since 1993 when it won all 14 contests at Alumni Gym.

Anna Feldkamp is tallying 2.00 kills and 0.86 blocks per set over the last two matches, while hitting .455 (14-4-32). The sophomore middle blocker/right side has had plenty of success against Evansville in her young career, averaging 2.23 kills and 1.15 blocks per set and hitting .247 (29-10-77), over three matches. Last season, she provided a career-best 15 kills and eight blocks in a five-set victory over the Purple Aces on February 14.

When Kelsey Watson totals five or more blocks, the Ramblers are 6-1 this season. The sophomore middle blocker is producing 1.83 kills per set, while hitting .326 (22-7-46) over the last three outings. In her last two appearances on the road, she is going for 1.89 kills and 0.89 blocks per set and hitting .300 (17-5-40). Watson is recording 1.63 kills and 1.13 blocks per set and hitting at a .360 clip (13-4-25) versus Indiana State in her career. 

Scouting Indiana State

After getting off to a 9-2 start to the season, Indiana State has fallen on hard times winning just twice in the last eight outings and it is coming off a 3-0 loss at Evansville on October 23. Playing their first match at ISU Arena since October 11, the Sycamores are 6-2 on their home court this season, with losses only to Illinois State and Bradley. Sophomore middle blocker Karinna Gall leads Indiana State with 2.55 kills per set, while also hitting .228 (189-51-604) and adding 2.57 digs per set. Loyola has won six of the last seven meetings with the Sycamores and has claimed three of the last four matchups in Terre Haute, Ind. When the teams met last month in Chicago, Karlie McNabb blasted 17 kills in the Ramblers' four-set victory.

Scouting Evansville

The Purple Aces enter the week as the hottest team in The Valley, having won six straight contests since opening league play with three consecutive defeats. Evansville and Loyola are two of three MVC teams yet to lose a match at home this season and when playing at Meeks Family Fieldhouse this fall, the Aces are yet to drop a set in six matches. Evansville, which leads the conference in both hitting percentage (.265) and service aces (2.07 per set), has a three-pronged attack of Alondra Vazquez (4.29 kps), Giulia Cardona (3.95 kps) and Melanie Feliciano (3.55 kps), that has accumulated 84 percent of the team's kills. Loyola has taken seven of the last eight meetings with Evansville and has won five straight at Meeks Fieldhouse.

Up Next

Loyola returns to Gentile Arena Monday (Nov. 1) to battle Drake. The Ramblers, who are 9-0 at home this season, and Bulldogs will be meeting for the first time this season.