Wright State University
7-8, 1-0Horizon
Loyola
6-9, 0-1Horizon
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright State | 30 | 28 | 30 | 26 | 15 | 3 |
| Loyola | 27 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 11 | 2 |
Volleyball Opens Horizon League Slate with Five-Game Decision at Loyola
9/22/2006 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Wright State volleyball team opened Horizon League play in a big way Friday night as the Raiders recorded a five-game road win over the Loyola Ramblers in Chicago. WSU won the match 30-27, 28-30, 30-26, 26-30, 15-11.
Kills by Becca Awaa and Jenny Schultz helped the Raiders open up a 22-20 lead they would not lose in game one, but Loyola evened the match at a game apiece as a kill and an ace from Courtney Ashley broke a 26-26 deadlock.
Wright State then trailed 25-23 in game three, but two combined blocks from Awaa and Lizzy Gunn keyed a 4-0 burst to give WSU the advantage at 27-25. The Ramblers closed to within one before the Raiders won the game by scoring the final three points on a kill and ace from Alisha Kimbro and a Schultz kill.
The Raiders then looked to be in position to take the match in four games, up 23-20 in the fourth game, but six unanswered Loyola points and an 8-1 run overall forced the decisive fifth game.
Another kill and ace from Kimbro gave Wright State a 6-2 edge in game five, but Loyola stayed close and trailed just 12-10 after a Shelby Henriksen kill. Kills from Kimbro and Gunn, however, allowed the Raiders to maintain the lead and WSU claimed the match on an Awaa kill.
Loyola finished with more kills (75-63) and a better hitting percentage (.163-.147), but the Raiders dominated at the net with a 20-6 block advantage and recorded eight aces compared to five for the Ramblers.
The win broke a 14-match losing streak to the Ramblers, dating back to a five-game decision on October 22, 1999 and marks the first time that the Raiders have ever won at Loyola since Wright State joined the Horizon League (MCC) in 1994.
Kimbro led the Raiders with a double-double effort of 19 kills and 15 digs and also added eight block assists while Awaa had her best night as a Raider with 11 kills and seven block assists off the bench. Gunn finished with 15 total blocks on the night to go with nine kills, Schultz had nine kills and 17 digs and Tara Geegan chipped in nine kills and five block assists. Lindsey Frank recorded six kills and nine digs to go along with 43 assists.
Setter Sarah Elmer paced Loyola (6-9, 0-1 Horizon) with a triple-double of 59 assists, 16 digs and 12 kills while Henriksen had 17 kills and Keily Zins and Audrey Davis 13 each.
Wright State, now 7-8 overall and 1-0 in the Horizon League, wraps up its stay in the Windy City Saturday afternoon at UIC starting at 5:00 Eastern.
