CHICAGO – Behind a balanced offensive attack and stellar defense, the Loyola Chicago women's volleyball team won its 10^th consecutive match with a 3-0 sweep over Saint Louis Tuesday evening inside Gentile Arena.
 
Six players had at least six kills in the match, led by Karlie McNabb's match-high 12. The Ramblers also leaned heavily on the defense, as Loyola held a staggering 58-34 advantage in digs. Emily Banitt and Olivia Lovett had 13 digs each while three other Ramblers had nine digs.
 
Quoting Coach Berkley
"I was proud of the team tonight," said head coach Amanda Berkley. "I thought they managed a very tough serving team well and I think it was a really good team win. I thought Bree [Borum] ran the offense well and did good job of attacking and being a part of the offense. Overall, I'm proud of the team for competing at a high level against a pretty good team."
 
How it Happened
Addie Barnes came out swinging in the opening set, leading all players with five kills in the first frame as Loyola cruised to a 25-15 victory. Bree Borum, who finished the match with 30 assists, nine digs and eight kills nearly recorded a double-double in the first set alone with eight assists and seven digs as the Ramblers held Saint Louis to a .045 hitting percentage in the opening set to go up 1-0.
 
Despite hitting only .133 as a team in the second set, Loyola relied on its defense to go up 2-0 in the match as the Ramblers limited the Billikens to a .000 hitting percentage. It was tightly contested throughout the set, with 10 ties and four lead changes through the middle of the set. With Loyola holding onto a slim 21-19 lead, the Rambler ripped off four consecutive points to take the 25-19 decision. McNabb and Taylor Ventuo had back-to-back kills before the duo teamed up on a block to give Loyola set point. A Billiken error would seal the set and give Loyola a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Loyola jumped out to a 15-8 lead in the third set, forcing Saint Louis to burn both timeouts. But the Billikens would respond and tie the match up at 17-all. It was neck-and-neck down the stretch, with the two squads knotted up at 23-all. Borum put away the kill to give Loyola match point before stepping up to the service line to deliver Loyola's third ace of the set to give the Ramblers the 25-23 victory.
 
The Ramblers return to action this Friday and Saturday as Loyola plays host to Duquesne inside Gentile Arena.
 
News and Notes

• McNabb had her team-leading 14^th match of the season with 10 or more kills.
• Venuto was in on three of Loyola's four blocks in the match.
• The Ramblers had their highest hitting percentage of the match in the third set, hitting at a .405 clip as a team.