CHICAGO, Ill. - Leyna Nguyen, Josie Halbleib, and Kate Maley put up double-doubles for Loyola Chicago in the non-conference closer vs. DePaul. Despite a 2-1 Rambler lead after the third set, the Blue Demons rallied for the five-set win.

Loyola falls to 3-9 on the season.

The Ramblers were led by double-doubles from both Maley, who had 11 kills and 11 digs, and Nguyen, who had 14 kills and 12 digs. Halbleib had one with 57 assists and 16 digs. Kaitlyn Burke also added 18 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Sam Falk chipped in for with 22 digs to go with seven blocks from Ann Marie Remmes.

"Another five-set match for us. Credit to DePaul for playing very well today," said head coach Amanda Berkley. "They played inspired. I think we played well at times. It is just a bummer we didn't put it all together for a win when we had a couple match points. There are some good moments of growth and a lot ot learn from this one."

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers dropped a tight first set, losing 28-26 in a game that was tied 11 times and had six lead changes. Burke got going early, tallying six kills in the first.

SET 2 | Loyola responded to pick up a 25-21 victory in set two, 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 eight times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way. The Loyola offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Loyola's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four DePaul attacks. Kate Maley had a team-leading five kills and two aces in the second.

SET 3 | Loyola grabbed a 2-1 match lead after defeating the Blue Demons in set three. The Ramblers took the lead for good at 10-9 in a set that had just one lead change. They then carried that lead to a 25-23 set win. The Ramblers racked up 18 kills over the course of the set. Remmes tallied six kills, while four other Ramblers had at least two each.

SET 4 | Loyola  couldn't keep the win streak going, as the Blue Demons forced a fifth set with a 29-27 fourth-set win. The Ramblers fell in a close set, losing in a stanza that was tied 14 times and had four lead changes. The Ramblers had four opportunities for match point before DePaul stole the set. 

SET 5 | Loyola took a lead of two sets to one before losing the final two sets, including a 15-11 loss in the fifth set. The Ramblers lost the first point and never clawed back into the lead. Leyna Nguyen tried to keep the Ramblers in the mix with four kills.
 

Game Notes

• Loyola had four players in double figures in kills. Burke tallied 18, Remmes 15, Nguyen 14, and Maley 11.
• Loyola  had five players in double figures in digs. Falk led with 22 digs, while Halbleib added 16, Nguyen 12, and Maley 11.
• Maley had a team-high two aces in the loss.
• Loyola attackers were helped by a match-high 57 assists from Halbleib.