CHICAGO (September 21, 2022) - A new era in Loyola women's volleyball begins Friday night when the Ramblers visit George Washington for their first Atlantic 10 Conference match. Loyola has faced a tremendous amount of adversity this season and other than the three contests at the season-opening Tennessee Classic, has played all of its matches without the services of at least one regular starter. The Ramblers, who have lost three five-set matches to teams from power five conferences, are looking to snap a three-match losing skid.

Under fifth-year head coach Amanda Berkley, Loyola has gotten off to some torrid starts to conference play. In addition to winning their last four league openers - a perfect 4-0 under Berkley - the Ramblers have spun off six straight wins to commence league play twice in the last three seasons, doing so in both 2021 and 2019. During the 2020-21 campaign, Loyola won its first four Missouri Valley Conference contests, and in 2018, Berkley's first season in Rogers Park, went 3-0 to open conference competition.

Over the last three contests, opponents have hit a robust .322 (153-41-348) against Loyola. Prior to that three-match stretch, the Ramblers had been limiting foes to a .198 (476-214-1,322) hitting percentage.

Sophomore setter Bree Borum, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, has fit in seamlessly in her first year with the Loyola program and over the last four outings, is hitting .425 (21-4-40) with 1.31 kills, 3.00 digs, 8.69 assists and 0.56 service aces per set. In the Ramblers' most recent contest, a five-set thriller versus Northwestern, she accounted for career highs of eight kills, 15 digs, five aces and three blocks. Her sister, Josi, is a senior on the Youngstown State volleyball team. Her twin sister, Brooklyn was a 2021 ACC All-Freshman Team selection at Virginia and her oldest sister, Jailyn, played at Illinois Springfield.

Senior outside hitter Sarah Murczek picked up the 16th double-double of her career and second this season when she had 12 kills and 10 digs against Northwestern on September 17. Over the last six matches, she is delivering 2.65 kills and 2.00 digs per set and she has tallied double-digit kills in five of her last eight appearances.

Anna Feldkamp has taken her game to another level recently and is racking up 3.00 kills per set and hitting a scorching .391 (48-14-87) over the last three matches. The junior middle blocker/right side has recorded 10 or more kills in three of the last four outings and in a four-set win over Rutgers on September 10, produced a career-best 19 kills. Over the last eight matches, she is hitting .347 (72-20-150).

Scouting George Washington

After struggling at the outset of the year and dropping its first four matches, George Washington has bounced back to claim six of its last nine contests, including each of the last three, heading into this weekend's series with Loyola. The Colonials have won just one of their first four matches at the Charles E. Smith Center this season, defeating Rider on September 9. George Washington, which leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in opponent hitting percentage (.162), is 3-0 this season when going the full five sets.

Liv Womble, a junior opposite, is off to a strong start to the 2022 campaign and is putting up 3.08 kills, 1.19 digs and 0.96 blocks per set. Middle blocker Tierra Porter, a graduate transfer from Florida Southern College, is accounting for a league-best 1.56 blocks per set.

Up Next

Loyola returns to Gentile Arena September 30 for its first Atlantic 10 home match versus Fordham. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT.