MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Loras College women's volleyball team capped its weekend in Milwaukee with a gritty five-set victory over Marian University on Saturday.
Loras fell behind 3-1 early in the opening set before
Cydney Tath helped turn the momentum. Tath recorded three early kills as the Duhawks moved in front 7-5, then added a service ace to make it 8-5. Loras continued to build its advantage behind kills from
Cat Meyer,
Kyra Kuehn,
Alyssa Purvis and
Iva Senio.
The Duhawks opened up a 20-12 lead following a Kuehn kill and Marian attack error. After the Sabres trimmed the margin to 20-16, Loras responded with a four-point push that included kills from Kuehn and Senio along with a Senio service ace. Tath then finished off the set with a kill for the 25-18 victory.
Marian responded in the second set and quickly jumped ahead 8-2. Loras battled back and eventually cut the deficit to 16-12, then got a late spark from Tath. With Marian sitting at set point, Tath delivered two service aces and Senio added a kill as the Duhawks fought off three straight set points before Marian closed the frame, 25-17.
Loras answered emphatically in the third.
After trailing 2-0, the Duhawks scored eight of the next nine points to take an 8-3 lead. The run featured kills from Meyer and Purvis, along with a Carroll block that helped swing the momentum back toward Loras.
The separation came with Senio at the service line. Leading 9-4, Loras rattled off six straight points behind four Tath kills, a Senio ace and a Marian attack error, pushing the advantage to 15-4. Tath later added another ace and Meyer followed with a kill as the lead grew to 19-5.
Meyer, Kuehn and Tath then accounted for the final three Loras points, with Tath closing out the dominant 25-12 set. The Duhawks hit .355 in the third frame with 15 kills against only four errors.
Marian once again answered in the fourth, taking an early 9-2 lead and never allowing Loras to fully recover. The Sabres stretched their advantage to 18-6 and went on to take the set, 25-11, sending the match to a deciding fifth.
The decisive set proved to be the tightest of the afternoon.
Marian grabbed the first two points, but Loras responded to tie the set at 4-4 before Tath and Senio helped spark a three-point run that gave the Duhawks a 7-4 advantage. Tath continued to carry the offense as Loras pushed its lead to 9-5.
The Duhawks eventually built a 12-8 lead, but Marian refused to go away. The Sabres scored five straight points to turn the deficit into a 13-12 advantage. Purvis answered with a kill to tie the set at 13, and a Marian setting error gave Loras match point at 14-13.
Marian responded again, tying the set at 14 and later at 15. With the match hanging in the balance, Tath delivered back-to-back kills to put Loras ahead 16-15. The Duhawks then forced a Marian attack error on the following rally to complete the 17-15 fifth-set win and the five-set victory.
Tath powered the Loras offense throughout the match, finishing with 20 kills, four service aces and 12 digs while hitting .275. Meyer added nine kills, two aces and a team-high 20 digs, while Kuehn totaled nine kills and a block. Senio chipped in five kills and two aces while hitting .375.
Isabel Hart directed the offense with 44 assists to go along with six digs, while
Carrah Bainbridge added 14 digs and three assists.
As a team, the Purple and Gold hit .188 with 54 kills on 154 attempts.
Up Next: Loras returns to Lillis Court on Tuesday, Sept. 15, to take on Ripon College. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
