Loyola volleyball contends for top of the MVC in its third season as member

This is what Wichita State coach Chris Lamb expected when Loyola joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2013. He saw the Ramblers as a team likely to move up the standings quickly.

Three seasons later, the Ramblers are tied with WSU for first place in the Valley entering the weekend. WSU (14-6, 5-1 MVC) plays Bradley (5-14, 0-7) on Friday at Koch Arena, while Loyola (16-3, 5-1) plays at Missouri State (13-6, 4-2). On Saturday, the Shockers should be in position to take sole possession of first place when Loyola visits Koch Arena.

“They are in a unique recruiting position — a private school in one of the best places in America for recruiting,” Lamb said. “They’re in a nice spot for volleyball.”

Loyola’s first two seasons in the MVC didn’t grab much attention. It finished tied for sixth in 2013 and seventh last season, 9-19 overall and 5-13 in the MVC. With a roster featuring four seniors and eight athletes from Illinois, Loyola needs one win to match the high mark of coach Chris Muscat’s five seasons and four for the program’s first 20-win season since 2004.

The Ramblers, who are 0-9 against MSU and WSU, lead the Valley with a .260 attack percentage and average 14.2 kills a set. They hold opponents to an MVC-best .162 attack percentage.

Junior middle Sami Hansen ranks second in the MVC with a .400 attack percentage and senior Maureen Carls is third at .369. Senior Brittany Brown is seventh at .340.

“Firepower,” Lamb said. “They’ve got a nice balance to their offense and they’re hitting it.”

The Shockers rebounded from a loss to Missouri State to win three road matches, sweeping Evansville, Northern Iowa and Drake last week.

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Loyola volleyball contends for top of the MVC in its third season as member."