Nov. 9, 2002
CHICAGO - Despite 20 kills from Cleveland State's Jamie Bouyer (Bedford Heights, Ohio/Chanel), Loyola defended its home court with a four-game win over the Vikings, 30-20, 29-31, 30-15, 30-22, to move into first place in the Horizon League volleyball standings.
Bouyer's performance marked the third match in a row in which she has recorded at least 20 kills. In addition, senior Michelle Iafigliola (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) collected 10 digs to become the fourth player in school history to record over 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career.
Shari Davis had another solid all-around match for the Ramblers, registering 20 kills, including a .621 hitting percentage (20-2-29), 11 digs and five blocks. Nichol Amberg also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.
Davis was the story in game one, almost single-handedly leading LU to a convincing 30-20 win. CSU was able to hang around through a good portion of the game but Loyola and Davis proved to be too much to overcome. A 6-1 Rambler run, keyed by the service of Nichol Amberg, provided Loyola with some separation and a 23-15 lead. Loyola cruised from there as Davis, who recorded an error on her first swing, bounced back to down 10 kills in 11 swings from that point forward.
After being held to a .023 hitting percentage in game one, the Vikings bounced back strong in game two. Neither team held more than a two-point lead until freshman Emily Clark (Bolivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley) served CSU to a 24-21 lead. Trailing 27-24 with Cleveland State serving, Loyola rallied. Three Viking errors tied the game at 27, but the Ramblers could not get over the hump and CSU sent the match to intermission tied, 1-1.
In game three, Lauren Holbrook served up five straight points to give LU an early 6-1 lead which would swell to 11-2 on Amberg's service. The Ramblers outhit the Vikes, .462-.028 in the game en route to the 30-15 win.
Game four mirrored game two, in that it was tight through the first 15 points. Three consecutive CSU errors gave Loyola an opening at 19-15. CSU pulled within two points on two occasions but the Ramblers went up 27-20 and finished out with a service ace.
