DAYTON, Ohio (November 5, 2022)
 
In Short…
Less than 24 hours removed from suffering its first defeat since mid-September, Loyola University Chicago (21-8, 15-1 A-10) moved a step closer to securing an Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title as it dealt Dayton (16-13, 10-6 A-10) a 25-20, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18 defeat this afternoon inside the Frericks Center in Dayton, Ohio.
 
How It Happened
Riding high from its victory on Friday, Dayton started fast, jumping out to an early 9-6 lead.  Loyola chipped away, taking an 11-10 lead on a Bree Borum service ace.  Addie Barnes ripped a kill off the block that pushed the gap to 15-12, prompting a Flyers' timeout.  With the lead sitting at 20-15 following a Karlie McNabb spike, Dayton rattled off five unanswered points to pull even at 20-20.  The Ramblers responded with a 5-0 run of their own, capped off by a Taylor Venuto kill that slammed the door shut on a 25-20 win in the first set.
 
The Maroon & Gold used a pair of spurts in the first half of the second set to take control.  A 4-0 surge that included two kills from McNabb turned an 8-7 deficit into an 11-8 advantage.  Dayton chipped the margin back to one, 11-10, before Borum caught fire from the service line, dealing a pair of aces as part of a 5-0 push that saw the lead balloon to 16-10.  The hosts would get no closer than three the rest of the way, as Anna Feldkamp drilled a Dayton overpass to close out a 25-18 victory and give Loyola a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
As was the case in the first set, Dayton came out firing, racing out to a 6-2 lead.  Loyola found itself playing catch-up for much of the frame, trimming the lead to 12-10 on a Flyer service error before seeing Dayton open up a 17-11 edge.  Barnes' 11^th kill of the afternoon clawed the Ramblers within four, 22-18, but Dayton tallied three of the set's final four points to stay alive and extend the match, 25-19.
 
Loyola looked to extinguish any hopes of a fifth set early in the fourth frame, using a 3-0 run to take a 7-3 lead on a Barnes flush.  Two more spikes from Barnes saw the margin expand to 17-11, but the Flyers refused to go down without a fight, closing back within three, 16-13.  Loyola put the set away shortly after, rattling off four straight points, the final two of which came on back-to-back Sarah Murczek service aces that made it 20-13 en route to a 25-18 triumph.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Barnes was spectacular in leading the Loyola attack, finishing with a season-high tying 17 kills.  The Neenah, Wis. product also picked up 13 digs to notch her third double-double of the year.
- McNabb continued her red-hot play of late, adding 15 kills to reach double figures in the category for the 14^th time this season.
- Venuto rounded out a trio in double figures for the Ramblers, hitting a sizzing .368 (10-3-19) as she put up 10 kills and two blocks.
- Borum turned in a strong outing of her own, dishing out a game-high 33 assists in addition to three service aces.
- Lexie Almodovar paced Dayton with 15 kills.
 
Up Next
Loyola now turns its attention towards a pivotal two-game series next weekend with Davidson at Gentile Arena to close the regular season, November 11-12.  The Wildcats, who host George Mason on Sunday afternoon, currently sit 1.5 games back of the Ramblers in the race for the A-10 regular season crown.