Women’s Volleyball Sweeps for a Bigger Cause 

Loyola women’s volleyball knocked off Fordham University for the second time of the weekend Nov. 9, securing their second consecutive sweep against the Rams. 

The Ramblers played for a bigger cause Saturday, dedicating the match to autism and down syndrome awareness. The dedication was especially relevant to third-year middle Ann Marie Remmes and her brother Paul, who has autism and down syndrome.

Borum and Ajanovic got things started early for the Ramblers in the first set, both scoring the initial points.

A five-point Loyola run followed including two kills by Borum as well as Ram attack errors. This brought the score to 13-9, leading the Rams to call their first timeout. 

Back-to-back kills by Borum and fourth-year outside Olivia Lovett gave the Ramblers momentum out of the break.. Remmes added on to the 16-9 Loyola lead..

Loyola maintained distance throughout the set as the Rams struggled with errors. With kills by Lovett and second-year middle Avary DeBlieck, the Ramblers took set one 25-13. 

The second set remained equally advantageous for the Ramblers gaining a 9-2 gap. Early scoring included kills by Ajanovic, Remmes, Lovett and graduate outside Marta Cvitkovic, along with aces by Lovett and Remmes. 

Down by six points, the Rams struggled to catch up. They were able to capitalize on Loyola errors but called their first timeout down 15-9. 

The Rams’ third-year opposite Audrey Brown captured back-to-back kills out of the timeout, but a following serve error from the Rams made it 17-12. 

The Ramblers called their first timeout at 18-15 after several errors, both offensively and defensively, allowed Fordham to pick up momentum.

The Ramblers got their energy back with an immediate kill by Borum after the timeout. Ajanovic, Remmes and Lovett chipped in to seal the second set 25-19. 

The Ramblers continued their early lead-setting trend with a 9-2 scoring run to start the third set, bolstered by Cvitkovic and Ajanovic. 

Loyola eventually called a timeout after three consecutive Fordham kills tied the game at nine. 

Out of the timeout, Ajanovic scored back-to-back kills, before a setter dump in the middle of the court by Borum gave the Ramblers a 13-10 lead. 

Loyola’s defense was steady at the net with Borum and Remmes gaining consecutive blocks to extend the 17-12 lead. 

Kills by DeBlieck, Borum and Cvitkovic eventually secured the sweep for the Ramblers with a final set score of 25-16 

Borum secured a triple-double with 12 kills, 13 digs and 33 assists, with seven kills in the first set alone. Head coach Amanda Berkley said Borum is always able to find ways to score

“Bree had a great offensive match,” Berkley said. “It’s funny I added Bree in as a right side because she scored so much today.” 

Ajanovic said playing for a bigger cause and supporting Remmes and her family meant a lot to the team. 

“It’s so nice to have a bigger reason to play,” Ajanovic said. “Everybody has something beyond just loving the sport that they play for. We love Paul and the Remmes family, so it was really nice to support her today.” 

The Ramblers play their final conference games Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. and Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. against George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Streaming has yet to be announced.