In a matchup of the top two teams in the MVC standings entering the weekend, the Valpo volleyball team fell Friday evening at Loyola, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-18).

How It Happened

• It was a tight opening set through the first half of the frame into the second half, as the set eventually featured nine ties and five lead changes.
• Neither squad had more than a two-point lead at any point until Loyola put together three straight points to go up 20-16 late.
• A kill by junior Bella Ravotto (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian) and a block from senior Haley Hart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and junior Maddy Boyer (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) brought Valpo within 20-18 before the Ramblers scored four of the next five to earn set point at 24-19.
• A kill from Hart and a Loyola error were followed by a service ace from fifth-year libero Rylee Cookerly (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg), as Valpo held off three set points and forced a Rambler timeout at 24-22. But out of the timeout, Loyola got a kill to close out the opener in its favor.
• A 6-1 run which was capped by back-to-back service aces from fifth-year setter Brittany Anderson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll) turned a 9-6 deficit into a 12-10 lead for Valpo approaching the halfway point of the second set.
• But out of a timeout, Loyola scored the next seven in a row to take control, and the Beacons got no closer than four points the rest of the frame.
• Valpo scored four of the first five points of the third set, but the Ramblers responded with a 5-1 spurt to take the lead for good. The Beacons were still within two points as late as 16-14 before Loyola scored three in a row as it extended its lead en route to closing out the match.

Inside the Match

• Fifth-year middle Peyton McCarthy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seton) led Valpo offensively on Friday, posting 11 kills on .360 hitting.
• Ravotto narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine kills and 10 digs.
• Anderson set a season high with her three service aces to go with 12 assists.
• Cookerly notched a team-best 12 digs to push her career total up to 2,845 digs.
• Hart tied for match-high honors with six blocks.
• Valpo was limited to just .106 hitting by the Ramblers Friday evening, the team’s second-lowest mark of the year. Meanwhile, Loyola hit at a .271 clip over the three sets.

Next Up

Valpo (13-4, 4-2 MVC) returns to the road next weekend with the swing through central Illinois, beginning Friday evening at Bradley. First serve from Peoria is set for 6 p.m.