DAYTON, Ohio -- Loyola Chicago lost a hard fought battle at Dayton, falling after a thrilling five sets on Friday, Oct. 23. The loss leveled the Ramblers to 10-10 overall and 7-3 in Atlantic 10 action.
Junior outside hitter Claire Van Den Herik notched 11 kills while hitting .500 as part of a balanced Loyola attack, which was led by sophomore Leyna Nguyen's sixth double-double of the season (21 kills, 10 digs). Defensively, junior libero Sam Falk chipped in 12 digs to go with seven blocks from senior middle Avary DeBlieck
Coach Quote: Amanda Berkley
"What a battle tonight against a tough Dayton team. There was lots of up and down play, but we need to focus on playing with more consistency."
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers dropped the opening set 25-19, despite putting together a .333 attack percentage with 11 kills in the loss. Junior middle Mallory Bohl led with three and had two block assists.
SET 2 | Loyola responded with a dominant 25-14 victory in set two, taking an early lead at 4-3 and never looking back. The Ramblers led by as many as 12 points at 23-11 and only committed one attack error in the frame. Nguyen racked up seven kills on .500 hitting.
SET 3 | The Ramblers carried that same momentum into set three, grounding the Flyers with a 25-20 win. Loyola held onto its lead after taking over at 10-9, racking up 12 kills in the win.
SET 4 | Dayton then forced a fifth set, taking the fourth in fierce fashion, 25-15. The Ramblers hit their lowest clip in the match, registering six attack errors.
SET 5 | The final frame was the closest, seeing six tied scores and four lead changes. Loyola stayed in it until the end, holding a 12-12 lead before Dayton rallied to capitalize on two Rambler errors in the final three points.
Inside the Box Score
- Emma Henry had the match-high 27 assists.
- The Ramblers are only the second team to take the Flyers to five sets.
- Nguyen recorded her fifth match this season with at least 20 kills.
Up Next
Loyola and Dayton rematch tomorrow afternoon, Saturday, Oct. 24 at 12 p.m. CT.
