WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Loyola Chicago swept No. 5-seeded/#24 BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday afternoon. The win is Loyola's first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The Ramblers advance to the second-round match Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. CT to play Purdue.
 
Loyola improves to 22-11 overall and is on a 13-match win streak. The Ramblers have only dropped two sets since Oct. 26.
 
"I am just really proud of this team," said head coach Amanda Berkley. "I think they've been really committed this whole postseason run and today they made plays. That's been a theme of ours all season - making plays. We saw a lot of players make plays, including Marta, Bree, Sam, and Olivia. Everybody made plays today, and I am just so proud of this group. Marta had a tremendous offensive game."
 
Marta Cvitkovic led Loyola with 13 kills while hitting .444. She added four digs and a block. Esma Ajanovic also finished in double-figures with 10 kills.
 
Bree Borum had her third straight double-double and 23^rd of the season with 32 assists and 10 digs.
 
How it Happened
Set One: Ajanovic had two early kills in set one, helping the Ramblers to a 5-3 edge. Brielle Kemavor sparked a 3-0 run for BYU, swinging the lead back in favor of the Cougars, 8-7. Loyola tied it three times and used a mid-set 5-0 run to take a three-point advantage, 17-14. Remmes had an ace in the stretch, while errors plagued the Cougars. The Ramblers up another four straight on the board after a BYU timeout. Ajanovic's kill put Loyola up, 21-15. BYU tallied three consecutive kills to get within three, but the Ramblers capped the set with a Sam Falk ace to win, 25-20.
 
Set Two: The second set went back-and-forth. Ajanovic would get the first kill before the set saw five ties. The Ramblers pulled ahead on a 3-0 run. Olivia Lovett's ace helped the go up 13-10. Avary DeBlieck and Lovett went for back-to-back kills taking an 18-15 lead. Loyola kept rolling with three more consecutive points capped by a Cvitkovic kill. DeBlieck delivered the final kill, and Loyola won, 25-21.
 
Set Three: Loyola didn't let up in the third, taking a 5-1 lead out of first serve. DeBlieck and Ajanovic had kills in the run. BYU chipped its way back in, getting within one with three straight points, 11-10. The Ramblers responded by scoring nine of the next 11 points. Ajanovic sparked a 4-0 run that saw kills from Borum and Lovett and an ace from Ajanovic to jump ahead, 20-12. Cvitkovic had a kill on three of Loyola's final four points, and the Ramblers ran away with a 25-17 win.
 
Up Next
Loyola will play Purdue in the second-round match scheduled for Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. CT in West Lafayette.