By Eva Arvelo
The George Washington Revolutionaries took down Loyola Chicago in five sets to kick off the final weekend of the A-10 regular season, moving to 9-8 in conference play and strengthening its hold on the sixth and
final tournament spot.
Loyola, sitting at the 3rd seed in the A-10 standings entering Friday’s match, took the opening set 25-16, helped by
strong, well-placed serving that included a three-point run. GW answered in the second with a
25-20 win built on defense. Its hitters, Alexis Rodriguez in particular, kept pace with a fast
offense, and the Revolutionaries covered well and adapted to Loyola’s play.
Loyola’s serving returned in the third set, when Mya Ball and Jae Fitting delivered the
team’s strongest serves and Loyola won 25-19. The fourth set was a turning point: GW adjusted
in serve receive and won 25-13, though Nicanora Clarke and Cayla Cogan both
appeared to leave the court within two points of each other.
Both returned for the fifth set, which was a back-and-forth battle with a lot on the line. GW’s
blockers came up huge, with Abby Meurk, Yazmyn Billings, Cogan, and Rodriguez
holding firm against Loyola’s heaviest hitters while Libero Lydia Zeng covered everything
behind them.
After the match, GW’s spot is stronger but not locked. “We still have, like, winning tomorrow
would really secure it,” Coach Katie Reifert said, noting the team is level with George Mason in
the tiebreaker. VCU is also in play: “Our spot, we could get as high as four, or we could finish as
low as seventh. So it’s still all up in the air.”
Loyola’s serving gave GW trouble, particularly from #6 Mya Ball, but the coach said that
pressure cut both ways. “I think she spooked them quite a bit, and after her serve, they got a
little tight,” the coach said. “Some of their servers weren’t coming with that same amount of
heat.” The coach reminded the team to play defense on the tough ball and not let it affect the
rest of the rotation. “I think they got a little looser and were able to put the ball where it needs to
be.”
GW never played down when it was down, and the coach credits that to a team-wide message:
“At any moment, it could be anybody’s game, and so we can’t let them see us down.”
GW and Loyola meet again Saturday for the regular-season finale.
