CHICAGO (November 1, 2021)
 
In Short
Addie Barnes belted 17 kills and hit a staggering .727 (17-1-22) to key Loyola University Chicago's (19-6, 12-1 MVC) convincing 25-14, 25-17, 25-16 victory over Drake (8-12, 3-9 MVC) tonight at Gentile Arena for its sixth straight win. The Ramblers, who played without junior middle hitter Taylor Venuto, improved to 10-0 at home this season and also clinched a berth in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship which will be held November 25-27 in Normal, Ill.
 
How It Happened
Back-to-back Manuela Rodrigues kills capped Drake's 8-4 spurt to open the first set, but after that, it was all Ramblers. Two kills from Barnes and a Sarah Murczek service ace were part of a 7-1 Loyola run that put the Maroon and Gold ahead to stay, at 11-9. An ensuing Bulldogs tally cut the Loyola lead in half, but the Ramblers delivered the finishing blow by stringing together a 9-2 spurt that swelled their lead to 20-12 on the way to a 25-14 win.
 
Two more kills and an ace from Barnes fueled the Ramblers' 5-1 start in set two and Drake never got closer than three points the rest of the way in Loyola's 25-17 victory. At one point, with her team in control at 16-10, Barnes served five straight points to extend the advantage to 21-10. The junior outside hitter was unstoppable in the second set, swatting six kills on six swings to spearhead the win.
 
Barnes continued her torrid pace in set three, crushing three more kills, while adding an ace, in a 5-2 start that put Loyola on top en route to a 25-16 decision. The Ramblers took things to another level in the third set, hitting a whopping .636 (18-1-27) as it extended its winning streak on its home floor to 10 matches.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• In addition to her impressive hitting display tonight, Barnes also contributed six digs and three aces as she reached the double-digit mark in kills for the ninth straight outing.
• Karlie McNabb recorded eight kills, hitting .304 (8-1-23) with six digs and a pair of blocks and freshman Esma Ajanovic provided some big plays in her first extended action of the season, drilling seven kills, while hitting .417 (7-2-12) and adding three blocks.
• Grace Hinchman put up 19 digs and Loyola hit .415 (46-7-94) as a team, its second-highest percentage of the year.
• Lindsey Pliapol came off the bench to register a team-high 10 kills for Drake, which dropped its seventh straight match.

 
Up Next
Loyola puts its six-match winning streak on the line Friday night when it makes the short trek to Valparaiso. First serve is set for 6 p.m.