CHICAGO (November 24, 2021) - Loyola (21-9, 14-4 MVC) seeks its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005 when it competes in the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Normal, Ill., this weekend. The Ramblers captured their first MVC regular season title and first conference crown, regardless of affiliation, since 2002, when they won the Horizon League championship.

This marks the fourth time in program history that Loyola has held the top seed at a conference tournament and the first since 2002. All time, the Ramblers are 6-2 as a No. 1 seed in a conference tournament. and Loyola won the 2000 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament.

Loyola is 18-0 this season when it captures set one and has won each of its last 19 matches when it claims the opening act. In fact, since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, the Ramblers are 27-1 when winning the first set of a match. Last week's come-from-behind, four-set decision over Illinois State was just Loyola's third win this season when dropping the opening set.

For the second time in three years, the Ramblers have won 20 or more matches. Prior to the 2019 campaign, Loyola had produced just one 20-win season (20 wins in 2015) since 2005, but head coach Amanda Berkley has now steered the program to four consecutive winning seasons, including a pair of years with 20 or more victories. 

Since the Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference for the 2013 season, the top seed has won the tournament five times (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020).

Last weekend's victory at Northern Iowa gave Loyola its 14th Valley win of the season, matching the program record for conference wins set originally by the 2019 Ramblers.

In its last four matches at neutral sites, Loyola has hit .293 (169-54-393).

Scouting Valparaiso

Valparaiso has won eight of its last 10 matches, including each of the last three, heading into the MVC Championship. The Beacons have claimed four of their last five contests played on neutral floors. Senior Haley Hart is hitting .306 (275-79-640) with 2.57 kills and 1.01 blocks per set and fellow senior Peyton McCarthy puts up 2.62 kills and 0.96 blocks per set, while hitting at a .292 clip (288-92-672). The Ramblers and Crusaders split the season series this year, with the home team winning each contest. In Loyola's 3-0 victory at Gentile Arena in October 8, Addie Barnes and Taylor Venuto tallied 10 kills apiece, while Grace Hinchman put up a match-high 21 digs. The Ramblers have captured four of the last six meetings with the Beacons.

Scouting Evansville

The Purple Aces have stumbled in six of their last nine outings as they enter the MVC Championship. Evansville, which leads The Valley in hitting percentage (.256) and service aces per set (1.87), has won four of its five matches played at neutral sites this season. The three-pronged attack of Alondra Vazquez (4.21 kills per set), Giulia Cardona (3.90 kills per set) and Melanie Feliciano (3.38 kills per set) leads Evansville. When the teams last met, on October 30 in Evansville, Taylor Venuto smashed a career-best 21 kills and added 10 blocks, while hitting .636 (21-0-33), to key Loyola's five-set victory. Loyola has won eight of the last nine and 12 of the last 14 matchups with Evansville.

Up Next

The winner of Friday's semifinal match will play Saturday (Nov. 27) at 4 p.m. for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.