Nov. 20, 2005

Final Stats

CHICAGO - Junior setter Sarah Elmer recorded her second career triple-double en route to tournament Most Valuable Player honors as fourth-seeded Loyola held off a spirited Wright State team, 3-2 (28-30, 30-23, 30-21, 15-30, 15-12), to win its second consecutive Horizon League Championship at the Flames Athletic Center in Chicago. The Ramblers (13-17), winners of seven of their last eight matches, earn the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will be making their fifth all-time appearance in the national tournament.

"I am ecstatic about the win and so happy for our young women," said first-year head coach Marcie Bomhack. "Each and every player on this team has put in the time and effort that it takes to be a champion and it was truly a total team effort to accomplish this goal. Early in the season, the scores were not indicative of the effort and heart that this group has and to see it all come together at the most important time is a testament to them. Wright State played a great match today and it took maximum effort from everyone to overcome."

After a roller-coaster first four games, and a particularly tough game four, Loyola regrouped in game five. The teams traded points to 3-3 before the Ramblers gained a little bit of breathing room. A Courtney Ashley kill was followed by a Raider ball-handling error and a solo block from Melissa Craig as LU snatched a 6-3 lead. The Rambler wall resurfaced a few points later, with Hilary Stromath and Audrey Davis combining on a stuff to make it 9-6, prompting a Wright State timeout. The Raiders scored three of the first four points out of the break to close within one (10-9) before Stromath found an opening to restore a two-point lead. Leading 13-11, Ashley ended a long rally with a kill to send the Ramblers to match point and Davis hammered one down to give the Ramblers the title.

Loyola found itself chasing throughout game one after falling behind 11-7 early, chipping away and eventually pulling even at 16 on a Stromath block. Wright State responded with a pair of points to regain the lead and it seemed as if the Ramblers had finally gotten over the hump when it took a 27-26 lead on a Davis/Shelby Henriksen block. However, LU would only score one more point the rest of the way and Henriksen hit long on game point to give the Raiders the opening frame.

Late runs pushed the Ramblers through games two and three, as they seemingly seized control of the match. A Davis kill early in game two gave Loyola a 13-7 lead but Wright State, playing its fourth match in four days, battled back. A Rambler error closed the margin to 22-20 and the game was still in question at 25-22 before two Ashley kills helped the Ramblers reel off five of the last six points to take the set. Game three was a carbon copy as an Ashley kill gave LU a 17-11 lead and momentum. Lizzy Gunn found the floor to cut the lead to four (21-17) before the Ramblers pulled away for a 30-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. As they had done the previous two nights, the Raiders came up big with their backs to the wall, jumping out to a 9-1 lead in game four before cruising to the win to force a game five.

Elmer was electric, finishing with 11 kills, 59 assists and 12 digs for the triple-double. However, she received plenty of support as four other Ramblers reached double figures. Stromath led the way, tying her career-high with 20 kills while adding five blocks. Ashley also had a productive day on the outside, finishing with a season-high 18 kills to go with 20 digs and Davis (12 kills) and Henriksen (10 kills) rounded out the quartet. Libero Ann Deelo had a career-high 31 digs, as LU recorded a season-high 108 digs, and Keily Zins added 18 digs.

Elmer was joined on the all-tournament team by Stromath and Davis, both of whom were key contributors all weekend.

"This is a great feeling," said Ashley. "This is a different team and a different year but it is still fulfilling. It is hard to compare the two (championships), but this was a total team effort and something that I will never forget."

Loyola will find out its first-round opponent next Sunday (Nov. 27) as the NCAA unveils its field of 64. The selection show will be televised on ESPNews and can be seen from 1:30-2:30 p.m. CT