WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 24, 2022)
In Short
Loyola University Chicago (8-7, 2-0 A-10) rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the match to slip past George Washington (6-9, 0-2 A-10), 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 25-13, 15-13 this afternoon at the Charles E. Smith Center. The Ramblers improved to 2-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference action, thanks to a career day from sophomore
Olivia Lovett, who recorded career bests of 19 kills and 20 digs.
How It Happened
Sarah Murczek smashed six kills and Loyola hit .317 (19-6-41) in the opening set as it pulled away late for a 25-19 victory. Murczek tallied kills to account for six of the Ramblers' first nine points in the opener and after building a five-point cushion (18-13), Loyola watched as George Washington made things interesting, cutting the gap to 19-18. However, kills from
Anna Feldkamp,
Bree Borum,
Kelsey Watson and Lovett down the stretch lifted Loyola to the win.
Loyola raced out to a 6-1 lead in set two but was unable to maintain that advantage. The Ramblers led by as many as six points on a pair of occasions and seemed poised to take control of the match when they were in possession of a 21-16 edge late in the set. That's when the Colonials pulled off the improbable, registering nine of the final eleven points of the set to capture a stunning, 25-23 victory.
George Washington took the lead for good in the third set thanks to a 5-1 burst that broke a tie and gave the hosts a 13-9 lead they never surrendered on the way to a 25-22 decision. Trailing 20-14, the Ramblers got two kills from Lovett during an 8-4 run that was capped by another kill from Murczek that brought Loyola within 24-22, but GW was able to halt the rally.
With its back against the wall, Loyola rolled to a dominating 25-13 win in set four to force a fifth set. The Ramblers hit a whopping .371 (17-4-35) in the set and benefited from a quick start in which they sprinted out to a 13-4 advantage and were never threatened. Lovett tallied six kills in the fourth set alone.
Taylor Venuto's kill early in the fifth set put Loyola ahead to stay (4-3) and Lovett came up big in a Loyola win again, tallying three kills, including the match-winner, and an ace. The Ramblers led by as many as three points on six occasions, the last being at 14-11, before the Colonials applied pressure and snuck within a point (14-13). As she did all day, Lovett came up big when her team needed her most, smacking her 19
th kill of the afternoon to finish off Loyola's 15-13 victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Lovett fell a kill shy of a 20/20 day, going for 19 kills and 20 digs. The sophomore outside hitter's previous career-best effort in kills was 11 against Oakland last August.
- Three other Ramblers reached double digits in kills, including Feldkamp, who provided 14 kills, and Murczek, who picked up another double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.
- Emily Banitt produced 12 kills and Venuto and Watson posted seven kills apiece.
- Grace Hinchman racked up 18 digs and Borum had another great all-around outing, accounting for career highs of 59 assists and 19 digs, while also contributing four kills, two aces and a block.
- George Washington was led by 17 kills from Liv Womble.
Up Next
Loyola plays its first Atlantic 10 Conference home match on September 30 when it hosts Fordham. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. at Gentile Arena.
