BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- In its season opening doubleheader, Loyola Chicago split, first defeating Drake in a 3-2 (15-25, 28-26, 18-25, 25-19, 16-14) victory, before falling 3-0 (23-25, 18-25, 15-25) to Western Kentucky at the WKU Invitational on Friday, Aug. 29. Rookie Leyna Nguyen and sophomore Kaitlyn Burke each recorded double-doubles to help push the Ramblers to the five-set win against the Bulldogs; Nguyen added another double-double against the Lady Toppers.  

The non-conference results improved the Ramblers to 1-1 overall on the season. 

"I thought the team showed a lot of grit this afternoon against Drake. They learned a lot about playing together and competing as a group. For Leyna's first matches as a collegiate athlete she played hard, scored at a high level and was a go to player for us. She was fun to watch today," said head coach Amanda Berkley. "Kaitlyn Burke also played well against Drake and found a way to score and competed at a high level. Western Kentucky is a very disciplined team and we have a lot to learn from them. I thought we competed well in the first set; we just need to limit errors and be a little more disciplined in a few areas."

Match One: Loyola Chicago, 3 | Drake, 2  

How It Happened 
SET 1 | The Ramblers fell behind early, dropping a tough first set 25-15. Loyola trailed by as many as 11 points as Drake grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was notted up two times before the Bulldogs took control. 

SET 2 | Loyola responded to pick up a 28-26 victory in the second set, evening the match at one set apiece. The Ramblers survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured five lead changes and was tied 14 times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way. The Loyola Chicago offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Loyola's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six Drake attacks in the stanza. 

SET 3 | The Bulldogs went ahead 2-1 in the match after taking down the Ramblers in set three. Loyola fell behind on the first point and never clawed back into the lead before falling in the set 25-18. 

SET 4 | Loyola then responded to win the fourth set 25-19 to force a fifth set. The Ramblers took control of the set at 5-4 and never looked back. Loyola led by as many as seven points at 24-17 before closing out the stanza. Loyola got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Drake attacks in the stanza. 

SET 5 | Down two sets to one, Loyola fired back to win sets four and five, culminating in a 16-14 fifth-set victory, to take the match 3-2. The Ramblers grabbed the fifth set powered by a solid performance on the attacking side. Loyola put together a .500 attack percentage with 11 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands one time, the Ramblers took control for good at 15-14 and rode that advantage to victory. 

Inside the Box Score 

• Loyola Chicago had three players in double figures in kills: Burke (18), Nguyen (15) and Ann Marie Remmes (11).  
• Remmes also added eight blocks at the net (five solo, three assists).  
• Sam Falk had a team-high three aces and 22 digs for another team high. 
• Ava Hunter helped the Ramblers' attack with a match-high 46 assists.  

Match Two: Loyola Chicago, 0 | Western Kentucky 3 

How It Happened 
SET 1 | The Ramblers dropped a back-and-forth first set, losing 25-23 in a game that featured seven lead changes and was tied 17 times. Neither team led by more than two points in the match. 

SET 2 | Loyola lost set two 25-18, digging a 2-0 deficit in the match. The Ramblers trailed by as many as eight points as WKU grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 in a set that was tied up eight times before the Lady Toppers took over the lead. 

SET 3 | Loyola could not win the third set and was swept by WKU. The Ramblers dropped a tough set 25-15. Loyola trailed by as many as 10 points as WKU grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was tied up just once before the Lady Toppers took over the lead. 

Inside the Box Score 

• Falk had a match-high three aces in the loss. 
• Nguyen registered a double-double with 13 kills and 12 digs, both team highs.  
• Hunter made the match-high 30 assists against WKU. 

Up Next 
The Ramblers close out the WKU Invitational against Wright State on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. CT.