Loyola University Chicago Athletics

CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago pulled off a sweep against VCU Saturday to snap a three-match skid and take home its first Atlantic 10 win of the season. The Ramblers came up big at the net, winning the blocking game, 13-4. 

Loyola improved to 4-8 overall and 1-1 in A10 play.

The Ramblers attack was paced by Katie Scherer, who finished with 11 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .364, and by Leyna Nguyen, who had 10. Defensively, Loyola had two players reach double figures in digs as Sam Falk and Jae Fitting both had 11. From the front row, Chloe Morgan contributed eight blocks and Avary DeBlieck added five rejections.

Coach Quote: Amanda Berkley
"I am really proud of the team for sticking to the game plan and making the changes we needed from last night. They took the feedback and were able to apply it. We were competitive every single point and locked in for the whole match. That is something we need to continue to do and take with us into next week's play."

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers opened up an early one set to none lead, taking a close first set 25-23. Loyola grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that had just one lead change before the Ramblers took over in the second half of the stanza.

SET 2 | After their win in the first set, Loyola put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-21 victory in set number two. The Ramblers never trailed by more than five points and grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that showcased three lead changes before the Ramblers took over the lead. Loyola's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five VCU attacks in the stanza.

SET 3 | The Ramblers won the set 25-17 powered by a solid performance on the attacking end to complete the sweep. Loyola Chicago put together a .344 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set win. The Ramblers ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. Loyola's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking six VCU attacks in the stanza.

Inside the Box Score

• Loyola led in blocks (13-4), kills (45-37), assists (42-34), aces (4-2), and digs (48-46).
• Scherer led the Ramblers with 11 kills, while Nguyen added 10. Nguyen also neared a double-double with eight digs.
• Mya Ball tallied 24 assists, while Emma Henry recorded 11. Both had four digs.
• Fitting and Falk had a team-high 11 digs each.