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Horizon Connection

Women's Volleyball Wins Title

11/17/02
by John C. Thomas
The Loyola women's volleyball team won their second consecutive outright Horizon League title Saturday night by knocking off 2nd place UWM 3-2 (28-30, 30-28, 25-30, 30-25, 15-9) in Milwaukee. Loyola finished the regular season with an incredible 25-4 overall record, 13-1 in conference. Loyola's only losses this year have come at the hands of Long Beach State and Ohio State (both nationally ranked), Dayton, and UWM.

The Ramblers overcame a 2-1 deficit by taking the last two games of the match in a hostile environment. The Loyola/UWM volleyball rivalry has become one of the best in any sport in the league.

For something like the fifth year in a row, Loyola and UWM finished in first and second place. Preseason conference favorite Wright State finished with a 6-8 record, in sixth place. Youngstown State was winless in conference, and has a two-year record in the HL of 1-27.

Last year, Loyola won the conference with a 13-1 record, 20-9 overall. But after faltering in the conference tournament final against host UWM, the Ramblers were snubbed by the NCAA Tournament committee. It was the first time in several years that the league didn't have an at-large selection for the 64-team field, and many people thought that the conference's name change and the addition of Youngstown State may have contributed to a decline in the league's volleyball prestige.

Loyola's tournament credentials appear to be much stronger this year, with wins over nationally-ranked Illinois, plus road or neutral site wins over Baylor, Northwestern, DePaul, St. Louis, and Bradley. The Ramblers finished the season with an 11-match winning streak, and the team has won 22 of its last 23 matches.

Nevertheless, the Ramblers can't take an at-large bid for granted. The Horizon League Women's Volleyball Tournament starts Friday night in Green Bay, and the #1 seeded Ramblers are set to face #8 Youngstown State in the first round.