DAYTON, Ohio – No. 6 seed Saint Louis battled No. 3 seed Loyola Chicago down to the wire in all three sets, but the Ramblers came away with a 3-0 victory in an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship first-round match Friday afternoon at the Frericks Center.
 
Addy Brus registered a match-high 13 kills and hit .333 (13-2-33), while Delaney Rice posted 11 kills and hit .333 (11-3-24). Brus tied for match-high honors with four service aces.
 
Abby Lynn turned in a double-double of 23 assists and a team-high 13 digs. Carlie Rodgers recorded 10 digs.
 
The Billikens notched a solid .272 hitting percentage.
 
Loyola Chicago def. Saint Louis 25-23, 25-22, 26-24
Set 1 – Loyola took the lead for good at 9-8 and built a seemingly comfortable 19-13 advantage. But Saint Louis charged back with a 9-4 run that put the Billikens to within a point, trailing 23-22. The Billikens fought off a set point at 24-22, but the Ramblers scored the next point to capture the set.
 
Set 2 – SLU led just once, 2-1. A 12-4 spurt gave Loyola a 13-6 lead, but much like the opening set, Saint Louis chipped away and was withing striking distance at 20-18. It was 23-21 Loyola after the teams traded 3-0 runs. The Billikens overcame set point at 24-21 but were unable to prolong the set any further.
 
Set 3 – Except for a 3-3 tie, Saint Louis led through most of the set and was in front 20-13 following a 4-0 flurry. However, Loyola tallied 13 of the final 17 points to win the set and the match.