Jan. 28, 2006
Box Score
CHICAGO - Senior opposite hitter Chris Kozlarek (Evergreen Park, Ill.) recorded 18 kills and eight digs as No. 11 Loyola posted a 3-0 (30-24, 30-27, 30-22) victory over No. 15 IPFW in MIVA Shondell/Dunlap Division action tonight at Alumni Gym. With the win, LU improves to 8-0 (3-0 MIVA) on the season, while IPFW drops its record to 2-4 (0-2).
In addition to Kozlarek, senior outside hitter Nathan Gustus (Mount Prospect, Ill.) set new career best totals with 14 kills and 25 attack attempts to along with three block assists against the Mastodons. Junior setter Brian Guntli (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied 41 assists and five digs for LU. Junior middle blocker James Grunst (Milwaukee, Wis.) and senior middle hitter Corey Kloos (Florissant, Mo.) each produced three blocks.
The Maroon and Gold opened the contest with an 11-5 lead in the first game with a kill from senior outside hitter Chris Nelson (Racine, Wis.). IPFW managed a comeback with a 16-10 run to slice its deficit to 24-21 on a kill by junior Josh Collins before Loyola closed out the game with a 6-3 run for a 1-0 lead.
In the second game, the Mastodons jumped out to an early 7-2 lead on a block by junior Colin Lundeen and sophomore Josh Stewart. A kill from Gustus highlighted a 24-16 run that gave Loyola a 26-21 lead later in the stanza. After IPFW closed within 29-27 on a Rambler hitting error, Kozlarek gave LU a 2-0 lead at the midway point with kill on game point.
IPFW started the third game like it did in the previous game by taking a 4-1 early advantage. The Maroon and Gold opened a 6-3 rally to tie the score at 7-7 on a service ace from Nelson. Both teams battled with each other through 10 ties until back-to-back kills by Gustus helped Loyola take an 18-16 lead. Three consecutive Kozlarek service points and two service points from junior outside hitter Zach Bailey (Glendale, Wis.) increased the Ramblers lead at 29-20, but the Mastodons scored two straight points to climb within seven at 29-22. The match ended on a kill by Kloos down the middle to give the Ramblers the win.
Sophomore C.J. Macias, who recorded a match-high 19 kills on 34 attempts, led IPFW. Lundeen recorded 30 assists for the Mastodons, while Stewart and senior Serdar Sikca added three blocks apiece.
The Maroon and Gold produced a hitting clip of .389 for the match compared to IPFW's .213 hitting percentage. The Ramblers tallied advantages in kills (53-40), digs (27-17) and service aces (5-3), while both teams recorded six team blocks in the contest.
Loyola faces Quincy in a MIVA Shondell/Dunlap Division match in Alumni Gym on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
