CHICAGO -- Loyola Chicago totaled 10 blocks en route to a three-set victory against Saint Louis on Tuesday, Sept. 29 inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers improved to 5-8 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic 10 play.
Junior middle and A10 Defensive Player of the Week Chloe Morgan led the Ramblers with six blocks and contributed a career-high seven kills on .455 hitting. Sophomore outside Leyna Nguyen paced the offense with 10 kills while setter Mya Ball dished out 22 assists and had the match-high four aces.
Coach Quote: Amanda Berkley
"I'm proud of the team for continuing to be locked in. We did a good job of staying disciplined; our passing was good and it kept us in system, and our block was pretty good too. We still need to improve our floor defense just a little bit, but overall, overall I'm proud of the team for coming out with a lot of fire in that first set. Then playing some tight second and third sets. We down at times, but found a way to come back."
How It Happened
SET 1 | Ball opened the match with back-to-back aces, and the Ramblers held the lead for the rest of the way, securing a decisive 25-15 first set. Loyola's front row blocked four Saint Louis attacks in the stanza.
SET 2 | Loyola set itself up on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-22 victory, surviving a back-and-forth set that saw four lead changes and seven tied scores. Neither side led by more than three points along the way. The offense got a boost from three more aces in the second set and the defense put up four blocks.
SET 3 | Loyola completed the sweep, taking the final frame 25-21. The Ramblers battled from behind before taking the lead for good at 18-17 to secure their second straight conference sweep.
Inside the Box Score
- Morgan's six blocks were the match-high.
- Ball recorded her seventh match with at least one ace.
- Junior Claire Ven Den Herik pitched in seven kills, hitting .462.
Up Next
Loyola travels to Rhode Island for its first A10 road contests on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4.
