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Loyola University Chicago Athletics

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Taylor Venuto
1
Loyola Chicago Loyola 11-9,9-8 MVC
3
Winner Illinois St. ISU 16-5,13-3 MVC
Loyola Chicago Loyola
11-9,9-8 MVC
1
Final
3
Illinois St. ISU
16-5,13-3 MVC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Loyola Chicago Loyola 14 14 25 22 (1)
Illinois St. ISU 25 25 20 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Loyola’s Bid For NCAA Berth Falls Short In 3-1 Loss To Illinois State In MVC Championship

Venuto hammers 11 kills in defeat as Ramblers conclude season

NORMAL, Ill (April 3, 2021)
 
In Short
Taylor Venuto had 11 kills and five digs, but sixth-seeded Loyola University Chicago's (11-9) quest for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005 fell just short in a 25-14, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22 loss to No. 1 seed Illinois State (16-5) Saturday night at Redbird Arena in the title match of the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Volleyball Championship.
 
How It Happened
Illinois State grabbed an 8-2 lead in the opening set, riding the hot hand of both Sydney Holt (three kills) and Kaylee Martin (two kills) during that initial burst. Loyola was unable to recover from that punch from the Redbirds in an eventual 25-14 defeat.
 
Two more kills by Holt were part of a string of five unanswered Redbird tallies that broke a 5-5 stalemate in set two and moved Illinois State ahead to stay in another 25-14 decision.
 
Loyola weathered that slow start and stayed alive in the match thanks to a 25-20 victory in set three. Elle Van Grinsven's kill was followed by another from Emily Banitt to snap a 19-all tie and give the Ramblers the lead for good as they closed out the set by scoring six of the final seven points.
 
The Ramblers trailed by as many as four points in the fourth set before rallying. Loyola faced a three-point deficit (18-15), and then assembled a 7-2 run highlighted by a kill and a solo block from Sarah Murczek, to stake claim to a 22-20 lead. However, the Ramblers couldn't maintain that momentum and a kill by Nicole Lund set off a stretch of five consecutive tallies for ISU that provided the hosts with a 25-22 victory.
 
A Look at the Numbers
  • Loyola posted a third straight winning season (11-9), marking the first time it has accomplished that feat since doing so eight consecutive years, from 1997 through 2004.
  • The Ramblers' middles had a big day with Venuto tallying 11 kills and six blocks, while hitting .345 (11-1-29).
  • Van Grinsven totaled eight kills and a .412 (8-1-17) attack percentage, with Murczek adding nine kills and 16 digs.
  • Martin produced 16 kills and 10 digs to lead Illinois State.
  • Van Grinsven and Venuto were named to the MVC Championship All-Tournament Team.
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up the season with an 11-9 overall record and will return everyone on its roster but senior middle blocker Elle Van Grinsven.
 
 
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