ANN ARBOR, Mich. (September 3, 2022) 
 
In Short 
Karlie McNabb registered a career-best 19 kills and Loyola University Chicago (3-3), which was playing without two regular starters, nearly pulled off a huge win, but ultimately fell in five sets to Michigan (6-0), 23-25, 25-22, 30-28, 16-25, 9-15, this afternoon at Cliff Keen Arena in the championship match of the Michigan Invitational. The loss snaps the Ramblers' modest two-match win streak.
 
How It Happened
After falling behind by five points (12-7) in the first set, Loyola used an 11-4 run that included three kills from McNabb, to erase the deficit and claim an 18-16 lead. Michigan would battle back to tie the set and after the teams exchanged leads for a brief period of time, McNabb delivered another kill and fired a service ace to nudge the Ramblers ahead, 23-21, and force a Wolverines timeout. That break shifted momentum though and Michigan responded by accounting for the final four scores of the set to pick up a 25-23 decision.
 
Loyola rebounded from that emotional setback to record a 25-22 victory in set two and even the match. McNabb swatted back-to-back kills to ignite a string of four unanswered tallies that wiped away a one-point deficit and gave the Ramblers the lead for good. Loyola appeared to be on cruise control when it assembled a 6-1 spurt that featured three straight points from Sarah Murczek (two kills, one ace) to extend the lead to 22-14. The Wolverines refused to go away however and shrunk the gap to 24-22 but that's as close as they would get.
 
Set three was one for the ages as the Ramblers overcame a 19-15 deficit to win a heart-pounding, 30-28 decision to take the lead in the match. Trailing 21-19, Loyola reeled off three consecutive points thanks to kills by Anna Feldkamp and McNabb, which book-ended a Bree Borum ace, to take the lead. The remainder of the set was a see-saw battle until the Ramblers tallied the decisive points on Michigan miscues.
 
Michigan took control of set four with an 8-2 run that provided it with a comfortable 12-6 edge and Loyola was unable to get closer than four points the remainder of the way as the Wolverines forced a fifth set thanks to a 25-16 victory.
 
A Borum ace and McNabb kill helped Loyola get out to an early 2-1 lead, but the Wolverines seized control of the fifth set by stringing together six unanswered points on the way to a 15-9 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers

• McNabb's 19 kills eclipsed her previous career best of 17 set on October 2, 2021 versus Indiana State. The junior outside hitter added eight digs, two blocks and a pair of aces this afternoon.
• Murczek recorded 14 kills, her most since tallying 14 versus Drake on March 28, 2021, and she also contributed eight digs and three blocks.
• Esma Ajanovic and Feldkamp posted nine kills each and Grace Hinchman dug a season-high 23 balls.
• Kendall Murray smacked a team-high 19 kills for Michigan, which dropped only its second and third sets of the young season.

 
Up Next
Loyola is back in action Tuesday night (Sept. 6) when it makes the short trek to Milwaukee, Wis., to battle