Jan. 14, 2006
Box Score
CHICAGO - Senior opposite hitter Chris Kozlarek (Evergreen Park, Ill.) slammed a match-best 22 kills and nine digs as No. 11 Loyola opened its 2006 campaign with a 3-1 (30-18, 27-30, 30-25, 30-21) victory over visiting Lindenwood on Saturday at Alumni Gym. With the win, LU improves to 1-0 on the year, while the Lions drop their record to 0-1.
Senior middle hitter Corey Kloos (Florissant, Mo.) recorded 15 kills, while junior middle blocker James Grunst (Milwaukee, Wis.) tallied 14 stops to go along with five blocks (two solo, three assisted) and two service aces for Loyola. Junior setter Brian Guntli (St. Louis, Mo.) had 67 assists and eight digs and senior libero John Thuet (St. Louis, Mo.) also recorded nine digs.
Loyola jumped to an early 13-7 lead in the first game thanks to three service points from Guntli and senior outside hitter Nathan Gustus (Mount Prospect, Ill.). The visitors from St. Louis managed pull within four points at 15-11, but consecutive hitting errors and a block from Grunst and Kozlarek hiked LU's lead back to nine at 20-11. The Ramblers closed out the game with a 10-6 run behind three kills from Grunst and two stops from Kloos.
The Lions took advantage of several Loyola miscues in the second game to knot the match at one game apiece. Back-to-back attack errors by the Maroon and Gold and two straight Jared Krienkamp kills helped Lindenwood take a 22-17 advantage. Both teams had alternated the next six points as the Ramblers sliced their deficit at 29-27 before Deimeke and Kevin McLear teamed up for a block on Guntli during game point.
Three consecutive service aces from Deimeke propelled Lindenwood to a 6-2 lead at the start of game three and a Nicklas kill later made it 8-4. Loyola battled back to eventually forced a tie 20-20 on a hitting error by the Lions and three Kozlarek kills was part of a 6-1 run that gave LU a comfortable 26-21 lead. The teams alternated points again until junior libero Zach Bailey (Glendale, Wis.) captured game point on a service ace to give the Ramblers a 2-1 lead in the match. Loyola pounded out 16 kills in the fourth game and held Lindenwood to a hitting percentage of -.034 to close out the match.
Nicklas tallied 13 kills and three blocks (one solo, two assisted) and Deimeke had 11 kills and four digs to lead the Lions. The Ramblers hit .382 for the match, including a blistering .577 in the first game, while Lindenwood hit -.034 for the contest. The Ramblers also enjoyed advantages in kills (74-47), digs (42-29) and service aces (7-5), while both teams recorded eight team blocks.
Loyola hosts Clarke in a MIVA crossover match at Alumni Gym on Sunday at 1 p.m. The match is part of a basketball/volleyball doubleheader as the LU men's basketball team battles city rival UIC in the Gentile Center at 3 p.m.
