Nov. 19, 2005

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CHICAGO - Hilary Stromath had 16 kills to lead a balanced Loyola attack as the fourth-seeded Ramblers claimed a 30-26, 30-18, 24-30, 30-23 upset win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the Horizon League Volleyball Tournament at the Flames Athletic Center.

The Ramblers, who were one of just two league teams to beat the top-seeded Panthers during the regular season, hit .323 for the match - the best an opponent hit against UWM this season.

Rachel Kuebbing had 22 kills to lead Milwaukee (20-9), which won the regular season league title for the third-straight season but was knocked out of the league tournament in the semifinals for the second-straight year.

Shelby Henrikson and Audrey Davis added 12 kills apiece for the Ramblers (12-17), while Sarah Elmer and Courtney Ashley had 11 apiece. Loyola will face either Cleveland State or Wright State in the championship match Sunday afternoon.

Melissa David added 12 kills and Cheryl Hegemann 10 for the Panthers, who see their season end despite winning at least 20 matches for the eighth time in the last nine years.

UWM dug itself a 2-0 hole in the match before rallying to win a spirited third game. But, the Ramblers steadily pulled away in the fourth frame to advance to the title match and keep its hopes for a second-straight league tournament title alive.

The Ramblers pulled out the first game with a strong burst in the second half of the frame. UWM led 9-6 following a David kill and built the lead to 12-8 after a kill by Kuebbing. But Loyola fought back to take a 16-15 lead on an Ashley kill and eventually extended the advantage to 20-16 on a Panther error. The Ramblers then led by as many as six points before the Panthers fought back, pulling within 27-25 on a kill by Sarah Moore. But, two kills by Stromath and a kill by Davis gave Loyola a 30-26 win in game one.

Loyola used a lengthy run in game two to claim an easy win. The game was tied at 6-apiece before the Ramblers exploded, scoring 13-straight points to take control of the frame. Stromath had three kills and Ashley two aces during the run, which was finally ended by a Kuebbing kill. Loyola eventually led by as many as 15 points and UWM could never mount a serious rally as the Ramblers took a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Panthers stayed alive in the match by winning a hard-fought third game. The lead changed hands six times early in the frame and, after the Panthers built a 21-19 edge, Loyola fought back to tie the game at 21. That's when UWM made a surge to take control, scoring four-straight points - three on kills by Kuebbing - to grab a 25-21 lead. Loyola then pulled within 25-23 but two kills by Monica Ferguson, an ace by Leanne Felsing and a Loyola service error put the Panthers back up 29-23. After one more point by the Ramblers, a kill by Moore gave the Panthers the game.

In game four, the Ramblers took the lead for good at 12-11 and then steadily pulled away. After Loyola built a 17-12 advantage, UWM pulled within 18-16 but would never get any closer. Three-straight Panther errors gave Loyola a 23-16 lead and a Rambler block made it 26-17. UWM rallied one more time, pulling with 27-23 on a kill by Kuebbing. But Loyola then scored the final three points of the game to win the match.