The Ramblers were taken down by the Patriots in four sets.
The Ramblers were taken down by the Patriots in four sets.
Loyola women’s volleyball was defeated by George Mason University in four sets Nov. 6. Third-year opposite hitter Katie Scherer led the Ramblers with 15 kills while second-year outside hitter Kiera Hamilton held the lead tallying 21 kills for the Patriots.
The first set began with two kills from fourth-year middle blocker Avary DeBlieck and two attack errors from the Patriots. Second-year outside hitter and defensive specialist Leyna Nguyen traded a kill with Hamilton prior to a kill by third-year outside and opposite Kate Maley. Nguyen tallied another kill, and a service ace from third-year libero Sam Falk forced an early Patriot timeout, down 9-4.
Third-year middle blocker Chloe Morgan and Scherer exchanged kills with the Patriots’ first-year opposite hitter Rylee Kinnell and Hamilton. Nguyen added a kill, and Scherer scored on a tip to the middle of the court, making it 13-8.
Scherer and Patriots first-year middle blocker Jenna Hunt traded a kill each before Nguyen added two kills, and fourth-year setter Emma Henry served an ace. Nguyen tabbed a solo block before the Patriots’ second-year outside hitter Nia Thomspon and redshirt second-year Mia Hazelett added two blocks of their own. Hazelett added a kill which prompted a Loyola timeout, 18-14.
Maley added two kills, and then Maley and Morgan secured a block. Hamilton scored on a tip from the back row, and third-year setter Mya Ball served an ace. Scherer got a kill from an overpass and even with a kill from Kinnell, a Scherer kill gave the Ramblers a set point and a kill from Morgan closed out the first set, 25-17.
Kills from Hunt, Thompson and Hamilton got the second set started for the Patriots. DeBlieck and Hunt traded kills before Thompson added two kills, and the Patriots’ fourth-year setter Camryn Weldon tabbed a kill, which Maley and third-year outside hitter Claire Van Den Herik combated with a kill each. Various Loyola errors and a kill from Hamlilton forced a Rambler timeout, down 12-3.
Hazlett and Scherer swapped kills prior to a kill from Kinnell and a block by Hunt and Hamilton. Nguyen added a kill, but it was negated by Thompson, scoring with a kill out of the back row. DeBlieck and Thompson tallied a kill each, followed by a kill from Hamilton. Errors by the Patriots and a kill from Maley prompted a George Mason timeout, up 19-12.
Hamilton scored out of the back row which was met with kills from Maley and Scherer. Hazelett and Hamilton added a kill each, and a kill from Kinnell gave the Patriots a set point. A service ace from Thompson decidedly ended the second set for the Patriots, 25-14.
Hamilton and Weldon started the third set tallying a kill each. Morgan and Maley blocked a kill attempt, and third-year defensive specialist Jae Fitting served an ace. Nguyen added a kill, and Scherer scored with a tip over the block. Weldon served an ace, and Hamilton added a kill, which Scherer negated with a kill, tying the set at six.
Third-year middle blocker Mallory Bohl and Nguyen tallied a kill each prior to a kill from Hazelett. Maley and Hamilton swapped kills, and Hunt and Weldon secured a block. Thompson and Hunt blocked a kill attempt, and Hamilton and Scherer traded kills, putting the Ramblers behind 16-14.
Scherer, Nguyen and Bohl all added a kill which was met by Weldon with a setter dump. Hamilton tallied two kills to Nguyen’s one to give the Patriots a set point, and a final kill from Hamilton narrowly closed out the third set, 25-23.
The fourth set started with a kill each from Scherer and Nguyen and Thompson scoring with a tip over the block. Nguyen and Rinnell traded kills prior to Thompson securing a service ace. Maley and Nguyen added a kill each which was met with a kill from Rinnell and a block by Hunt and Hamilton, giving the Ramblers a 9-7 lead.
Maley added a solo block and a kill. Thompson and Nguyen exchanged kills before Scherer and DeBlieck added a kill each. Hazelett and Bohl traded kills before Thomspon, Hazelett and Nguyen each served an ace, giving the Ramblers an 18-15 lead.
Two kills from Hamilton, a kill from Hunt and a block from the pair was met with a lone kill from Maley. Hamilton added two more kills, one being a back row attack, and a block from Hunt and Weldon gave the Patriots the momentum and the 23-21 lead.
The Patriots’ redshirt second-year opposite hitter Gabriella Gelfound and Hazelett added a block to give the Patriots a match point. Even with back-to-back kills from Scherer, a kill out of the back row from Hamilton closed out the match, 25-23.
Head Coach Amanda Berkley said the team had gotten too comfortable after playing well in the first set.
“I think we started off the second set pretty poorly in terms of attention to detail and doing our jobs,” Berkeley said. “We forget we really have to work for it. We tried to motivate them and talk about different things that we could do to get the job done but unfortunately, we didn’t measure up.
The Ramblers take on the last weekend of conference play against George Washington University in Washington, D.C. at 12:30 p.m. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.
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