Virginia Commonwealth University

Score: Loyola Chicago 3, VCU 0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-17)
Location: Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Arena)
Records: VCU 3-7 (1-1 Atlantic 10), Loyola Chicago 5-7 (1-1)
 
The short story: Junior outside hitter Lara Del Core supplied 10 kills, but it wasn't enough to hold off Loyola Chicago Saturday at Gentile Arena.
 
OPENING VOLLEY

• In addition to Del Core, VCU received eight kills each from freshman outside hitter Dominika Kasinska and senior middle blocker Nina Boledovicova. Boledovicova hit .280 on 25 swings in the match
• VCU junior middle blocker Letizia Galli kicked in seven kills and two blocks, while hitting .294
• Defensively, sophomore Kayla Foley and freshman Jordan Baksh contributed 10 digs apiece for the Black and Gold
• Katie Scherer led all players with 11 kills for the Ramblers

THE DIFFERENCE

• Loyola's defensive front caused VCU problems all afternoon. The Ramblers piled up 13 blocks in three sets. The Rams hit .157 in the match
• The Ramblers hit .239 on the day
• The Rams took a 13-11 lead in the first set, but Loyola responded with a 7-2 burst, punctuated by a Scherer kill, to take an 18-15 lead they would not relinquish

NOTABLE
This weekend's matches served as a rematch of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Match
 
NEXT UP
VCU will return home for its first A10 matches of the season at the Stuart C. Siegel Center when it hosts George Washington Oct. 2-3. Both matches will stream live on ESPN+.