DAYTON, Ohio – Loyola Chicago upset No. 18 Dayton with a 3-0 sweep for the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Sunday morning. It's the second A-10 title for the Ramblers in three years since joining the league.
Loyola's win was its 12
th straight, improving to 21-11 overall.
The loss was Dayton's second of the season, first by an A-10 opponent, and first on its home court. The Flyers hadn't lost to an A-10 team since the Ramblers won the 2022 championship, 3-1. It is also the first time Dayton has been swept since Sept. 30, 2022.
"I am so proud of this group for finding a way to compete and play the best at the end of the season," said head coach
Amanda Berkley. "They were determined, played tough, and competed. So proud of these seniors for their performances. Esma had a great weekend and past point 20 she was unstoppable. Liv has been a consistent steady player for us, and I am so proud of her for being a leader and making plays. Bree was unbelievable this weekend. She made smart decisions, was offensive when we needed her to be and made her hitters better. Just super proud of the entire group for staying the course, and they were committed to making the play today!"
Loyola impacted the match at the net, leading 11-4 in blocks.
Avary DeBlieck finished with seven total blocks, while
Ann Marie Remmes had five.
Esma Ajanovic tallied four, and
Marta Cvitkovic three.
Bree Borum had another double-double, posting 28 assists and 10 digs. It is her 21
st of the season. Borum added eight kills.
Olivia Lovett tied Borum with a team-high eight kills. Remmes finished with seven. Cvitkovic and Ajanovic tallied five each, and DeBlieck had four to complete the full team effort.
Borum was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, while she, Lovett, Remmes, and Ajanovic were named to the All-Championship Team.
How It Happened
Set One: The Ramblers came out firing on all cylinders in set one, taking a 10-2 lead with the help of an 8-0 run. Five different players scored, including two kills from Lovett. Borum had a pair of kills to push the lead to double-digits, 13-3. Loyola kept the lead above 10 until the Flyers put three points together, 22-14. Despite Dayton's late effort, Lovett and Borum tallied kills, while the set was clinched on a Flyer service error, 25-17.
Set Two: The Flyers had early momentum after a Karissa Kaminski ace and Liana Sarkissian kill put them up, 4-2. Taylor Russell kept the lead at three with a kill, 10-7. The Ramblers responded with four straight points sparked by Cvitkovic's attack and capped by her ace, swinging the lead 11-10. The set saw four more lead changes, including a 5-1 run that gave Loyola a 24-21 edge. Dayton cut it back down to one, but Remmes secured set point with a kill, 25-23.
Set Three: Ajanovic and Lovett had kills out of first serve, but Dayton pulled ahead on a 4-0 run. 5-3. The lead increased to five after two Loyola attack errors, 13-9. The Ramblers rallied with six unanswered, wrapped up by Ajanovic's kill for a 20-17 edge. Ajanovic kept at it with two more kills, while Lovett sent the final blow over the net to claim the championship, 25-19.
Up Next
The Ramblers secured the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Loyola will find out its fate Sunday, Dec. 1 during the selection show airing on ESPN at 5 p.m. CT.
The first and second rounds are scheduled for Dec. 5-7 at regional sites to be determined.
