Blue Demons Storm Back to Sink Ramblers 3-2

Friday, September 18

Chicago, Ill.

12 p.m.

DePaul University

7-3,0-0Big East

Loyola

3-7,0-0Atlantic 10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Loyola Chicago	23	25	25	19	13	2
DePaul	25	20	19	25	15	3

Box Score (PDF)

9/18/2026 3:25:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Box Score

DePaul draws first blood in 2026 Chicago Cup

CHICAGO – DePaul volleyball needed the full five sets to get past crosstown rival Loyola Chicago on Friday afternoon at McGrath-Phillips Arena, grinding out a 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 15-13) win in front of 884 fans on Field Trip Day. The Blue Demons improve to 7-3 on the season, while Loyola falls to 3-7.

"We were so due for a match like that," said head coach Marie Zidek. "We've been winning while playing well and losing while playing well in three or four sets, but there was going to come a time when we were pushed to work through a match the long way to victory. Today we had to ride the momentum swings, the game leaving us and then coming back to us. We flipped lineups in set four, and players off the bench came in, took some load off individuals, and put it back on the team. We were able to disrupt their attack from behind, and then we found our best volleyball when our best volleyball was needed to win the fifth set."

Freshman Caroline Wright set career highs in kills (7) and blocks (6), while Martina Diana notched the first double-double of her career with 14 kills and 13 digs, leading the team with a .290 hitting percentage. Leonor Polezzi tied a season high with four service aces, three of them coming in a row, and dished out 34 assists, her third-straight match with 34 or more. Kendall Timme added 15 kills, her third-straight match reaching that mark.

For Loyola, Leyna Nguyen led all players with 21 kills, while Mya Ball ran the offense with 55 assists.

"These are the matches you build teams and seasons on, not the easy wins or the moral-victory losses," said Zidek. "These matches teach you so much about yourself and give you the hunger to keep training harder. Learning how to find a way."

How it Happened
SET ONE | DePaul built an early cushion behind steady reception and stretched the lead to 10-5 on a Jade Dudley-Epps kill, forcing a Loyola timeout. The Ramblers clawed back to tie it at 18-18, and the two teams traded points until Caroline Wright and Martina Diana answered a late Loyola surge with consecutive kills to close it out, 25-23.

SET TWO | The set stayed tight early with the Blue Demons briefly up 2-0 behind Wright, but Loyola's attack took over from there, ripping off a stretch that pushed the lead to 9-15 out of a media timeout. DePaul couldn't close the gap, dropping the set 25-20 to even the match.

SET THREE | Loyola jumped ahead early, building a 0-5 cushion behind their serve. DePaul answered with a pair of kills from Diana and Kendall Timme to tie it twice, at 9-9 and 10-10, but the Ramblers regained control down the stretch and pulled away in the closing points to take a 2-1 match lead, 25-19.

SET FOUR | DePaul flipped its lineup and found its rhythm, riding a serving run from Leonor Polezzi that pushed the lead from 9-7 to 15-9 and forced a Loyola media timeout. Isabela Tavares-Salomon and Abby Cahill kept the pressure on, extending the lead to 21-15 despite a Loyola timeout, and the Blue Demons closed out the set 25-19 to force a decisive fifth.

SET FIVE | DePaul came out aggressive, jumping ahead 6-3 and forcing an early Loyola timeout. The Ramblers battled within one at 8-6 and again late at 13-12 and 14-13, but Timme and Dudley-Epps delivered the kills DePaul needed at the net to close out the match, 15-13.

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TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket memberships are now live for the 2026 DePaul Volleyball season! Season ticket memberships include access to all 15 anticipated regular season matches at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park, plus an opportunity to purchase tickets for the Wintrust Arena match against Nebraska. Season tickets are available beginning at $79 for general admission and $129 for courtside seating! Want to bring your team to the match? Group ticket deposits are also available for parties of 10 or more. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets to reserve your seats today!