CHICAGO (March 27, 2021)
 
In Short…
Five Ramblers tallied at least eight kills as Loyola University Chicago (9-7, 8-7 MVC) surged to a 27-25, 25-22, 25-19 sweep of visiting Drake (12-6, 10-5 MVC) this afternoon inside the Alfie Norville Practice Facility.
 
How It Happened
After falling into an early 2-0 hole, Loyola used a 4-0 surge, highlighted by two Emily Banitt service aces, to jump in front, 4-2.  Drake nudged its way back on top, 6-5, but a Sarah Murczek kill sparked a 6-1 run that gave the Maroon & Gold an 11-7 edge and prompted a Drake timeout.  With the Loyola lead sitting at 21-16, Drake took off on a run of its own, rattling off eight of the set's next nine points to put itself on the brink, 24-22.  Back-to-back Kelsey Watson kills pulled Loyola level, 24-24.  After fighting off another set point at 25-24 courtesy of a Murczek spike, Watson and Elle Van Grinsven teamed up for a block that put the Ramblers back on top, 26-25.  A Bulldog attack error on the ensuing sequence sealed the deal, securing a 27-25 Loyola victory in set one.
 
Loyola came flying out of the gate in the second set, racing out to an 8-3 lead.  Consecutive kills by Van Grinsven staked the Ramblers to a 17-9 edge, but Drake again showed no quit, ultimately trimming the margin to 22-21 on a Loyola attack error.  That would be as close the visitors would get though, as a Taylor Venuto kill upped the lead to 23-21 before another Watson spike closed out a 25-22 triumph.
 
The Ramblers again started fast to begin set three, as Murczek fired back-to-back service aces to help send Loyola out to an 11-5 advantage.  Drake refused to go away without a fight, tying things up at 16-16 on a Haley Bush kill.  Loyola's final push of the day proved to be too much, as kills from Murczek, Banitt, and Van Grinsven kickstarted a 5-0 run that gave Loyola a 22-17 lead en route to a 25-19 decision.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Banitt paced Loyola on the day, finishing with 11 kills and 10 digs to pick up her eighth double-double of the year.
- Watson also finished in double figures, adding 10 kills.
- Venuto and Murczek each chipped in nine kills, with Venuto hitting a sizzling .438 (9-2-16).
- Van Grinsven was credited with four blocks in addition to eight kills.
- Jenna Appel finished with a match-high 38 assists, while Grace Hinchman racked up a team-high 15 digs.
- Drake's Lindsey Pliapol ripped a match-high 15 kills for Drake, which hit .207 (41-17-116) as a team.
 
Up Next
Loyola and Drake close out the regular season on Sunday at 4 p.m.