ANN ARBOR, Mich. (September 2, 2022) 
 
In Short 
Playing without two of its regular starters, Loyola University Chicago (3-2) hit a scorching .347 (44-11-95) in a 25-20, 25-16, 25-22 victory over Toledo (3-2) tonight at the Michigan Invitational. The Ramblers will play for the Michigan Invitational title tomorrow afternoon when they battle the host Wolverines. Loyola is seeking its first tournament crown since claiming the Hampton Inn Rambler Challenge last September.
 
How It Happened
Loyola fell behind by six points (9-3) early before it settled in and finished the first set with a bang, scoring 11 of the final 15 points for a 25-20 win. The Ramblers chipped away at the Rockets' edge and a kill from Taylor Venuto sparked that decisive, set-closing 11-4 run. Venuto's stop sparked a string of five consecutive points that the middle hitter capped with a solo block, and Loyola never looked back from there as it hit .294 (14-4-34) for the set.
 
Once again, a strong finish propelled the Ramblers to victory as they tallied 13 of the final 17 points of set two for an impressive 25-16 victory. A balanced Loyola attack hit a white-hot .393 (14-3-28) in set two and a pair of Esma Ajanovic kills were part of a stretch of four unanswered points that gave the Ramblers the lead for good, at 16-12.
 
The Ramblers flipped the script in set three, getting off to a quick start behind the strong play of Emily Banitt and Venuto, as they seized a 15-7 advantage. Toledo trailed 23-16 before it tried to stage a final comeback. The Rockets were able to make things interesting, scoring five consecutive points to whittle the Loyola lead to 23-21, but McNabb and Ajanovic sandwiched kills around a Rambler hitting error for a 25-22 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Loyola's .347 hitting percentage was its best since posting a .415 accuracy rate (46-7-94) versus Drake on November 1, 2021.
• McNabb, the lone Loyola player in double-figures in kills, was one of a handful of efficient Ramblers, tallying a team-high 11 kills, while hitting .429 (11-2-21).
• Ajanovic continued her strong play this weekend, pitching in eight kills and hitting at a .438 clip (8-1-16).
• Venuto finished with seven kills, five blocks, an ace and a .385 (7-2-13) hitting percentage.
• Taylor Alt notched a match-best 16 kills for Toledo, which dropped its second straight contest.

 
Up Next
The Ramblers take on host Michigan tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. CT. That match will be streamed live on BTN+.