CHICAGO, Ill. -- Sophomore Kelsey Cave (Solon, Iowa/Solon) hit .556 and had a team-best 10 kills, but Bradley couldn't muster enough offense to keep up with Loyola as the Braves opened a three-match road swing with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-18 loss to the Ramblers Friday at Gentile Arena.

Cave's .556 attack percentage was her best of the season as she helped highlight Bradley's offensive attack with 10 kills on just 18 attacks with no hitting errors.  Freshman Taylor Thiele (Aurora, Neb./Aurora) had eight kills and she matched a season-high with three aces in addition to tying for team-high honors with five digs in the setback for the Braves.

Loyola, which hit .500 in the opening set, jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and never looked back, extending the advantage to as many as eight points (10-2).  Morgan Reardon had five of her match-high 16 kills in the opening set to help power the Ramblers to a 25-17 win.

The second set went back and forth early on with Bradley holding a 12-11 edge after a Cordelia Murphy (Marseilles, Ill./Marquette) kill.  A 6-0 Loyola run quickly gave the Ramblers a 17-12 lead, but the Braves would later pull within one point at 21-20.  Loyola answered with four consecutive kills, however, to close out the second set 25-20.  Cave had six kills on just 10 swings for Bradley in the second.

An early 5-0 Loyola spurt in the third set put the Ramblers in front 9-3 and the Braves trailed 15-7 near the midway point of the frame.  Senior Madison Kamp (Orland Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) collected four kills on just five attacks in the third set, but Loyola hit .417 and went on to complete the sweep with a 25-18 victory.  Reardon, who finished with 16 kills and 11 digs for the Ramblers, had six kills and five digs in the third set for Loyola.

Bradley continues a three-match road swing next Friday with a 7 p.m. contest at Missouri State.