Women’s Volleyball Suffers Second Consecutive Sweep Against Dayton

Loyola women’s volleyball conceded a second straight sweep to Dayton Nov. 1. Third-year middle blocker Avary DeBlieck held the Rambler offense with 12 kills while Dayton’s redshirt third-year outside hitter Kaitlyn McNeel and fourth-year middle blocker Liana Sarkissian led the Flyers with 12 kills each. 

Back-and-forth play started the first set with McNeel and first-year outside Leyna Nguyen trading kills. Second-year outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke tabbed a solo block which McNeel met with another kill. Fourth-year middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes kickstarted the Rambler offense with a kill followed by a block from Dayton’s fourth-year setter Viktoria Wahlgren to tie the set at four. 

A 4-0 Dayton run included a kill from redshirt first-year outside hitter Corrie Anderson and a setter dump from Wahlgren, along with Rambler errors. McNeel tallied a kill, followed by two Rambler errors. A service ace from Dayton’s fourth-year libero Karissa Kaminski put the Flyers up 12-6. 

DeBlieck and McNeel swapped kills, which Nguyen followed with another kill. Two Rambler errors were followed by a kill from Burke which was negated by a kill from Anderson. Remmes and Dayton’s redshirt first-year Abigail Cresse traded kills, but another Loyola error gave the Flyers a 20-13 advantage. 

Back-to-back DeBlieck kills brought momentum to Loyola’s side. The Flyers’ third-year outside hitter Kamryn Hunt responded with a kill, which was met with a kill from Nguyen. A Rambler service error was cancelled out with a Burke kill, but consecutive Dayton kills from Hunt and Sarkissian gave the Flyers set point. 

An attack error from Loyola finished off the first set in favor of the Flyers at 25-17. 

DeBlieck and Nguyen started the second set strong with a kill each, which was met with a kill from McNeel and Sarkissian. A service ace from Kaminski was followed by an overpass kill courtesy of Sarkissian, giving the Flyers an early 5-2 lead. 

Remmes tabbed another kill for Loyola, and second-year defensive specialist Sam Falk followed it up with a service ace. McNeel secured a solo block, and a kill from Hunt gave Dayton a two-point advantage. 

Second-year outside hitter Kate Maley and Remmes closed the gap with a kill each. A Cresse and Wahlgren block and a kill from Anderson were negated by two Flyer errors. Kills from Nguyen and DeBlieck swapped kills with McNeel and Cresse, bringing the score to 14-12 and prompting a Dayton timeout. 

Coming out strong, the Flyers had a 6-1 run, including kills from McNeel, Hunt and Sarkissian, as well as a block from Cresse and a service ace from Kaminski. Kills from Burke and DeBlieck sparked some energy for the Ramblers, but McNeel was still able to capture a kill for Dayton, putting them at set point at 24-21. 

A kill from Remmes and Burke kept the Ramblers alive and within one, but Cresse stole the set for the Flyers with a kill and a final score of 25-23. 

Dayton began the third set with a 12-3 run, which included kills from Hunt, Sarkissian, Anderson and Wahlgren as well as a lone kill for the Ramblers from Burke. A Molnau kill was immediately met with a kill from Anderson, making the score 13-4. 

Maley and Wahlgren swapped kills, prompting a 3-0 Rambler run with a kill from Burke and a service ace from third-year setter Emma Henry. McNeel followed the run with a block, and a block from Hunt and Cresse increased the Flyer lead 16-8. 

A kill from DeBlieck, followed by a service ace from Maley was negated with Loyola errors. A kill from Hunt was combated by Molnau and DeBlieck with a block, but McNeel tallied another kill for Dayton, making the score 19-11. 

Sarkissian swapped kills with Molnau and Maley, which incited a 3-0 Rambler run, including another Maley kill and Flyer errors. Anderson scored a kill and a solo block consecutively to give Dayton match point. Despite two consecutive DeBlieck kills, a kill from McNeel closed out the match with a final score of 25-19. 

Head coach Amanda Berkley said she was happy with the setter’s offense and utilizing the middle blockers despite the loss. 

“Proud of [Henry] for finding the middles more today,” Berkley said. “ [DeBlieck] had a great match, hitting .846, so props to her.”

The Ramblers take on The University of Rhode Island Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in Gentile Arena. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.