CHICAGO -- Loyola Chicago fell in a thrilling five-set battle to UIC at home on Thursday, Sept. 17. The nonconference loss dropped Loyola to 3-6 overall.
Sophomore outside Leyna Nguyen once again paced the Ramblers' offense, finishing with 24 kills, while junior Claire Van Den Herik added a season-high 14 and sophomore Katie Scherer had 10. Defensively, senior Sam Falk anchored Loyola, racking up 19 digs and adding an ace. From the front row, junior Mallory Bohl contributed eight blocks.
Coach Quote: Amanda Berkley
"I'm disappointed with the loss, but I am proud of the team for fighting to get back into it, especially in that fifth set when we were down by quite a bit. Some of the plays we made were really impressive, especially Sam's [Falk] scramble, which showed a lot of fight and grit. We can't give so many points away, and we have to create a more balanced offense at times. Our middles need to step up and make some plays going into tomorrow's match against DePaul."
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers grabbed control of the set-one lead at 6-5 and held on the rest of the way to win 25-18, leading by as many as eight points before closing out the set. Loyola's front row had a solid performance, blocking four Flames' attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | Loyola lost the second set 25-17 to level the match. The Ramblers' attack was unable to break through the Flames' defiant net presence.
SET 3 | Despite a solid showing on the attacking end, registering a .357 hitting clip with 13 kills, the Ramblers dropped the third frame 25-20.
SET 4 | Loyola forced a fifth frame with a 25-19 victory in set four, taking control early at 3-2 and never looking back. The Ramblers put up four blocks in the frame and clocked in 13 kills.
SET 5 | The Ramblers couldn't complete the comeback in the deciding set, falling in extra points 17-15.
Inside the Box Score
- Van Den Herik's 14 kills were a career best.
- Three Ramblers recorded double-digit digs: Falk (19), Jae Fitting (13) and Jordan Bruckner (12).
- Sophomore Mya Ball had a team-high three aces and dished out 50 assists.
Up Next
The Ramblers close out the Chicago Cup on the DePaul Blue Demons' home court tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 18 at 12 p.m.
