CHICAGO (September 30, 2022) 
 
In Short 
Karlie McNabb smashed a match-high 17 kills and was one of four Loyola University Chicago (9-7, 3-0 A-10) players to reach double digits in that category as the Ramblers rolled to a 25-16, 25-14, 25-23 victory over Fordham (6-8, 0-3 A-10) tonight at Gentile Arena. This was McNabb's first match since her mother, Kim, passed away three weeks ago after a bout with cancer.
 
How It Happened
Taylor Venuto provided a pair of kills and teamed up with Emily Banitt on a block midway through the opening set to snap a tie and put Loyola ahead to stay, at 13-10, on the way to a 25-16 decision. The Ramblers cemented the outcome when Banitt, who drilled six kills in the first set alone, and Sarah Murczek accounted for two kills apiece in a 5-1 burst that extended the hosts' advantage to 20-13.
 
Loyola breezed to a 25-14 victory in set two thanks to a prolific attack that hit at a robust .415 clip (21-4-42) and got six kills from Venuto. With the teams staked to a 3-3 tie, the Ramblers received back-to-back kills from Anna Feldkamp to ignite a 10-2 run that also included two kills apiece from Venuto, McNabb and Murczek, and Loyola was able to stay on cruise control from there on the way to the win.
 
McNabb and Venuto registered kills as part of a string of four unanswered points that gave the Ramblers the lead for good (15-11) in an eventual 25-23 win in the third set that completed the sweep. Loyola's lead grew to as many as five points (21-16) when Madi Corey fired back-to-back service aces, but Fordham snuck back into the game, cutting the deficit to 24-23. However, McNabb capped her dominant performance by clubbing her remarkable ninth kill of the set to finish off the Rams' hopes of a late comeback.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Loyola improved to 3-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference action with tonight's win and remains unbeaten at home through four matches this season.
• McNabb's 17 kills fell just short of her career-best effort, which was a 19-kill performance earlier this season at Michigan.
• Banitt had another sparkling match, tallying 11 kills, while hitting at a sizzling .625 rate (11-1-16), as she reached double-figure kills for the fifth consecutive outing.
• Murczek put up another double-double, her fourth of the year, going for 11 kills and 14 digs, and setter Bree Borum added her fifth double-double of the year with 48 assists and 13 digs.
• Venuto finished the night with a .562 hitting percentage (10-1-16) and four blocks and Grace Hinchman totaled a match-high 18 digs.
• Whitley Moody produced a team-high 10 kills to pace Fordham, which dropped its sixth straight match.

 
Up Next
These same two teams wrap up the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at Gentile Arena. First serve is scheduled for noon CT.