Women’s Volleyball Sweeps Fordham in First Match of Weekend

Loyola women’s volleyball secured a sweep over Fordham University Nov. 8. The Ramblers finished the match with a .382 hitting percentage and seven service aces. 

Out of the gates neither team was able to amass more than a one point lead until Loyola led 7-5. The first few points consisted of errors by both teams, as well as kills by fourth-year setter Bree Borum and third-year middle Ann Marie Remmes. 

The Ramblers then went on a 4-1 run which included kills by Borum, third-year middle Ella Ramsay and fourth-year pin Esma Ajanovic. The Rams successfully challenged a touch, bringing the score to 11-6. 

The Ramblers remained in control for the rest of the set and forced the Rams to take a timeout down 16-8. After the timeout, kills by Borum, fourth-year outside hitter Olivia Lovett, and graduate outside Marta Cvitkovic, in tandem with scrappy defense by first-year libero Sam Falk pushed the score to 22-15, and the Rams took their second timeout

The Ramblers won four consecutive points with two kills by Ajanovic and one apiece for Remmes and Lovett, to close out the first set 25-17. 

The second set started out with an early run by the Rams, who, with three consecutive kills, jumped to an early 5-1 lead before a Rambler timeout.

The Rams then recorded back-to-back errors while the Ramblers finished three more kills by Cvitkovic and second-year middle Avary DeBlieck, tying it at six apiece. 

Fordham continued to suffer with both service and attack errors, while the Ramblers gained offensive momentum with a kill and an ace by Cvitkovic, causing the Rams to take their first timeout down 12-8. Three consecutive kills following the timeout by Lovett, Ajanovic and Remmes forced the Rams’ second timeout. 

The Ramblers consistently stayed nine points ahead of the Rams for the rest of the set. After a setter dump by Borum, and kills by Lovett, Remmes and Cvitkovic, Remmes closed out the set 25-15, with a service ace.

The third set started out similarly to the first with both teams fighting to gain the lead. The Rams and the Ramblers struggled with attack errors at the net. 

The Ramblers gained a 7-6 lead after tough digs, and a kill by Cvitkovic. The Ramblers then got two more kills by Cvitkovic and Ajanovic before a Rams timeout. 

Kills by Lovett, and Borum, and an ace by Ajanovic allowed Loyola to maintain and extend their lead. After a long rally with strong defense, the Rams secured an ace of their own to make it 14-12. 

The Ramblers eventually closed out the set with more kills by Cvitkovic, Remmes and Ajanovic — who also recorded a solo block. The sweep was eventually secured after the set ended 25-18.

Head coach Amanda Berkley said it was a strong match offensively for the Ramblers.

“Overall the team did a good job adjusting as the match went on,” Berkley said. “There were certain things that we saw in film that we needed to adjust in game, and they did a good job doing that.” 

Berkeley said the team wasn’t satisfied with just one victory, and would carry their winning mentality into the weekend second game.

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 information has yet to be announced.