Women’s Volleyball Secures Road Win Against SLU in Five

Loyola women’s volleyball defeated Saint Louis University in a five-set thriller Oct. 7. Second-year outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke led the Rambler offense, tallying 16 kills, while Saint Louis first-year outside hitter Ellie Rink led the Billikens with 13 kills. 

Billiken’s second-year outside hitter ​​Tea Kalajdzic and third-year middle blocker Avary DeBlieck traded kills to start the first set. Saint Louis won the momentum when second-year middle blocker Kayla Jansen, first-year setter Jetta Brenning and Kalajdzic added three kills for Saint Louis, giving them a 5-2 lead. 

First-year outside hitter Leyna Nguyen and Jansen swapped kills, followed by back-to-back service aces by third-year setter Emma Henry. A kill for the Billikens from first-year outside hitter Tamia Maddox made the score seven apiece. 

A service ace from second-year defensive specialist Chloe Maughan preceded a 9-1 run for the Ramblers. The run included two kills each for fourth-year middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes and Burke as well as errors on the Billikens, putting the score at 16-9. 

Kalajdzic tallied a kill for Saint Louis but was met with kills from Nguyen and Burke. Rink and DeBlieck traded kills, and — despite a service ace from third-year Alivia Bronner — the Billikens trailed with a score of 20-12. 

Kills from Nguyen and Remmes neutralized a kill from Brenning and a service ace from Rink. A kill from Burke gave the Ramblers set point, but the Billikens fought back with two Maddox kills and two service aces from Brenning. 

A kill from Burke gave the first set to the Ramblers with a score of 25-22. 

First-year rightside Karli Molnau established the offense for the Ramblers, grabbing the first kill of the second set. Attack errors from both sides kept the game even, but kills from Jansen and Rink gave the Billikens a 4-2 lead. 

Remmes tallied a kill for the Ramblers, which St. Louis followed with a 6-1 run, including kills from Jansen, Maddox and Brenning as well as a service ace from Rink. DeBlieck added a kill for the Ramblers, but the Billikens held the lead at 11-7. 

Brenning had the hot hand, grabbing a kill and a service ace for Saint Louis. Both teams suffered attack errors, increasing the Billikens’ lead. Kalajdzic and Remmes ended the error spree, each tallying a kill, making the score 17-12 for Saint Louis. 

Jansen and Burke each tabbed another kill before the Billikens went on a 4-0 run consisting of kills from Jansen and Maddox as well as a service ace from Maughan, giving Saint Louis set point. 

Despite a DeBlieck kill, a Rambler attack error gave the second set to the Billikens with a final score of 25-15. 

Kalajdzic and Burke started the offense in the third set with a kill each. Molnau and Remmes kept the momentum with the Ramblers with a kill apiece, along with a service ace from second-year libero Sam Falk, giving the Ramblers a 4-3 lead. 

Rink grabbed two more kills for Saint Louis, which was met by kills from Remmes and Nguyen. A surge of momentum for the Billikens included two Maddox kills and a kill and service ace from Brenning, giving Saint Louis a 10-8 lead. 

First-year Billiken middle blocker Kennedy Cooper and Rink each tallied a kill. The Ramblers continued to concede attack errors, increasing the Saint Louis lead. Brenning and Rink scored two more kills, which Molnau answered with a kill for the Ramblers, putting the score at 14-12. 

The Billikens went on a 7-1 run consisting of kills from redshirt first-year Billiken setter Lucy Rankin, Maddox and Kalajdzic. The lone point for the Ramblers was a kill from Burke. A service ace from Henry and kills from Molnau and Nguyen gave the Ramblers some momentum, but a Rink kill gave Saint Louis set point. 

Molnau kept the Ramblers alive with a kill, but Jansen closed out the third set for the Billikens with a kill and a final score of 25-21. 

Burke started the fourth set strong by tabbing two kills. The Billikens answered with kills from Maddox and Kalajdzic. Consecutive kills from Brenning were met with kills from Molnau and Remmes, tying the set at six. 

Four kills from Molnau put the Ramblers in the lead, and Brenning answered with a single kill for Saint Louis. Second-year outside hitter Claire Van Den Herik and Kalajdzic swapped kills, giving Loyola a 14-10 lead. 

Remmes and Burke added kills for Loyola while Rink and Brenning contributed kills for Saint Louis. Two Burke kills, along with a kill each from Van Den Herik and Molnau beat out two kills from Cooper and Jansen. 

Despite a three-point run for the Billikens — including kills from Kalajdzic and Rink, and a service ace from Saint Louis third-year defensive specialist Alivia Bronner — a kill from Burke gave the Ramblers set point at 24-19.

Rankin grabbed a service ace, but Remmes closed out the fourth set with a kill, making the final score 25-21. 

Cooper and Rink got the offense going for the Billikens in the fifth set, tabbing a kill each. Remmes and Burke added two kills for the Ramblers, but Rink met those with two kills of her own to tie the set at four. 

An 8-1 run for the Ramblers included four kills from Molnau, Henry and Remmes to put Loyola up 12-5. Rink and Burke traded kills and errors from the Billikens gave the Ramblers match point with a score of 14-7. 

A Loyola service error and kill from Kalajdzic kept the Billikens alive, but a final service error from Saint Louis gave Loyola the match with a final score of 15-9. 

Head coach Amanda Berkley said she was thrilled with a road win and wants to use the momentum for the coming games.

“Karli [Molnau], Kaitlyn [Burke] and Ann Marie [Remmes] had a great match tonight,” Berkley said. “I thought those three did a good job finding ways to score and putting the ball away. Saint Louis really pushed us, and we responded in a big way in the fourth set. I’m proud of the team for pulling off a road win and can’t wait to take that momentum into a big weekend at home.”

The Ramblers continue conference play versus Duquesne University for their Breast Cancer Awareness Night Oct. 10 in Gentile Arena at 6 p.m.