Women’s Volleyball Axes Ladyjacks in Five-Set Thriller

Loyola Women’s volleyball hosted Stephen F. Austin University for the first home game of the season Sept. 11 taking down the Ladyjacks 3-2. Second-year outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke led the Ramblers with 25 kills on the night, and graduate outside hitter Ilana de Assis held the lead for the Ladyjacks, tallying 15 kills. 

Loyola came out strong in set one, going on a 5-0 run with kills from third-year Avary DeBlieck and Burke. After a Ladyjack timeout, third-year middle blocker Kyanna Creecy scored their first kill. 

DeBlieck and Stephen F. Austin’s second-year rightside Katherine Holtman traded kills before the Ramblers went on another 5-0 run consisting of kills from second-year outside Kate Maley, first-year outside hitter Leyna Nguyen and fourth-year middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes, putting Loyola up 10-2. 

Her first kill of the night — a kill from de Assis kill was met by kills from Nguyen and Remmes and an ace from Maley. Two Ladyjack errors increased the Rambler lead 13-3. 

Second-year middle blocker Molly Cravens entered the scoring, which Nguyen, Burke and Remmes combated with kills for Loyola. First-year setter Ava Hunter joined the offensive action with a setter dump. 

Stephen F. Austin proceeded to go on a 4-1 run with Holtman tabbing two kills and second-year right-side hitter Kennedy Jones and second-year middle blocker Jordan Henderson grabbing a kill each, crawling back,18-9. 

Burke and Nguyen tallied kills for the Ramblers, but the Ladyjacks found their spark with kills from de Assis and Jones as well as blocks by Henderson and fourth-year outside hitter Camryn Hill, making the score 20-13. 

Kills from de Assis, Henderson and Hill were met with a kill from Nguyen and a block by Remmes and Burke. A Ladyjack service error gave the Ramblers set point, and a hitting error from the Ladyjacks on the next point gave the Ramblers set one at 25-18.

The second set started with two Rambler errors resulting in a 2-0 Ladyjack’s lead. Maley and Nguyen tabbed kills for the Ramblers, which Holtman and redshirt second-year setter Cambry Saul met with kills of their own. 

Holtman served an ace, which she followed with a back-row attack. Remmes answered with a slide attack, but the Ladyjacks stayed ahead, 8-3. 

Remmes, Burke and DeBlieck tried to bring the energy up for the Ramblers, but de Assis and Holtman kills kept the momentum for the Ladyjacks. Back-to-back kills from Burke, however, brought the Ramblers within one at 15-14. 

Nguyen added a back-row attack, which Cravens met with a setter dump. Hill and Nguyen traded kills before two Loyola errors led to a Rambler timeout. 

De Assis and Jones gave the Ladyjacks set point. Remmes and Burke gained a block, but a Rambler service error gave Stephen F. Austin the second set, 25-22. 

Four kills started off the third set, with Henderson tying the third set at two apiece. Jones and first-year rightside Karli Molnau traded kills, before the momentum transferred to the Ladyjacks with Loyola errors, despite kills from Remmes and Hunter.

Holtman and de Assis swapped kills with Burke, and the Ramblers added blocks from DeBlieck and Molnau. Nguyen, Burke, Molnau and graduate setter Josie Halbleib closed the gap for the Ramblers to 21-15, but they couldn’t outscore their errors.

DeBlieck secured an overpass kill, which fourth-year setter Jayden Flynn responded to with a setter dump. A DeBlieck and Nguyen block followed by a Remmes slide attack prompted a Stephen F. Austin timeout at set point. A Loyola error put the Ladyjacks up two sets to one, with a score of 25-22. 

Flynn and Holtman started the scoring for the Ladyjacks in set four. Molnau grabbed two kills in response, but Rambler errors gave Stephen F. Austin a 7-3 lead. 

Three Halbleib kills and a kill from Burke tied the fourth set at eight. Jones and Halbleib traded kills, which was followed by a DeBlieck and Burke block. Hill answered with a kill, but Burke and Halbleib tabbed two more kills, giving Loyola a 12-10 lead and forcing a Ladyjack timeout. 

Holtman and Halbleib swapped kills, and Rambler errors put Stephen F. Austin ahead, 14-13. Errors from both sides canceled out a kill from Burke and Henderson. Cravens scored off an overpass, and a Cravens and Hill block increased the Ladyjacks lead, 18-16. 

A kill and solo block from DeBlieck, followed by a Burke kill, gave the Ramblers the advantage. Hill retaliated with a kill, but DeBlieck and Burke kept the energy with two more kills, resulting in a Rambler lead at 22-20. 

Two Rambler errors and a block from de Assis and Henderson gave the lead back to the Ladyjacks. Remmes and Halbleib gained a block, which de Assis answered with a kill. Burke grabbed back-to-back kills, giving the Ramblers set point at 25-24. 

De Assis evened the score, but a Stephen F. Austin error gave Loyola their third set point. Cravens secured a kill, but a net violation put the advantage on the Ramblers. A kill from Deblieck sent the match to a fifth set at 29-27. 

Henderson scored an overpass dump to open set five, which Burke and Halbleib answered with kills of their own. Burke and Henderson traded more kills before a Halbleib solo block and kill, followed by a Nguyen kill, gave the Ramblers a 7-3 lead and prompted a Ladyjack timeout. 

Two Loyola errors and a service ace from Saul closed the gap. Remmes grabbed a kill, but Henderson and Jones tallied kills of their own. An attack error from the Ramblers tied the set at nine apiece. De Assis, Jones and Hill scored three kills in a row, but a service error and back-to-back Burke kills tied the set once again at 12. 

A net violation and a kill from Burke gave the Ramblers match point. Henderson kept the Ladyjacks alive, but an attack error gave the Ramblers the last point and the win, 15-13. 

After the game, Burke credited the Loyola home crowd for helping bring the energy in their home opener.

“I was so glad to have so many students here, and then high schoolers too, and our band bringing the energy,” Burke said. “It was a lot of fun, and it was really nice to have that support through that fifth set from the crowd, our parents, and everybody, and it was a good way to open the season.”

The Ramblers take on the University of Minnesota in Gentile Arena Sept. 19th at 6 p.m. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.