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Loyola University Chicago Athletics

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Addie Barnes
TIM COWIE
1
VCU VCU 17-13,13-5 Atlantic 10
3
Winner Loyola Chicago Loyola 19-11,16-2 Atlantic 10
VCU VCU
17-13,13-5 Atlantic 10
1
Final
3
Loyola Chicago Loyola
19-11,16-2 Atlantic 10
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
VCU VCU 24 25 18 16 (1)
Loyola Chicago Loyola 26 14 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Ramblers Advance to A-10 Tournament Finale With 3-1 Win Over VCU

Ramblers will play Dayton tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT live on ESPN+

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The second-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's volleyball team battled No. 3 VCU to a 3-1 (26-24, 14-25, 25-18, 25-16) win in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals Saturday at Belk Arena. The Ramblers advanced to the tournament finale tomorrow where they'll face top-seeded Dayton at 11 a.m. CT.  

"VCU came out and did a really nice job of being competitive and made it really tough for us," said head Loyola Chicago coach Amanda Berkley. "I think we also had a little bit of tournament jitters - so I think we kind of had to work through some things to be prepared for that match. But proud of the team for bouncing-back in sets three and four,"

How it Happened
Loyola raced out to a 6-1 lead to open the match as the squad hit .184 through the first set. The Maroon and Gold gathered a match-high 19 kills in the opening frame, led by Emily Banitt's six. Banitt's kill from Bree Borum capped a 4-1 Loyola run, making the set score 17-12, LUC. VCU however made things interesting after going on a 9-3 run towards the end of the frame, giving themselves set point, 24-22. The 'Blers shook it off and scored four-straight points, including three kills, to claim the set, 26-24.

In the second set, the Rams had their best hitting percentage of the day (.286) while Loyola was held to their worst (.027), resulting in the Ramblers losing the set, 25-14.

But Loyola rebounded in the third frame and racked up 14 kills while hitting .275, it's best percentage of the outing, to take a 2-1 lead. The 'Blers got a boost from an opening 8-3 run before Barnes laid down two big kills to make the score 17-11, Loyola. Karlie McNabb blasted down the final kill as the Maroon and Gold won the third frame, 25-18.   

In the fourth and final set, the Ramblers raced out to a 6-2 lead before building a staggering 18-8 advantage. With the squad hitting .243, Taylor Venuto downed back-to-back kills to make the score 21-12, as Loyola looked for the knock-out blow. Eight points later, a VCU service error propelled the 'Blers to the tournament finale as the team bested the rams, 25-16, in the last set.

Notes
  • Borum, Barnes, McNabb and Banitt all logged double-doubles in the win.
  • Five Ramblers reach double-digits kills while the team racked up 79, it's second-most in a single match this year.
  • McNabb hit .300 with 11 kills and 30 swings, a team-high. She also notched a pair blocks, tying her season-best.
  • Barnes' 20 digs were a team-high to go along with her 17 kills on 43 swings. She also notched a trio of aces at the helm.
  • Borum collected a match-high 42 assists and added 16 digs.
Up Next
Loyola will look to go back-to-back and defend its A-10 Tournament Championship trophy as it faces off against No. 19/1 Dayton in the title bout. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. at Belk Arena.  

"[We need] to stay the course and play it one point at a time. Play how you know how to play. We don't need to do any more than that. Just compete and have fun."
 
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