Feb. 11, 2006
Box Score
CHICAGO - Senior opposite hitter Chris Kozlarek (Evergreen Park, Ill.) recorded a season-high tying 22 kills, 11 digs and a career-best seven service aces to help No. 12 Loyola rebound from its first loss of the season with a 3-1 win over Graceland tonight at Alumni Gym in non-conference action. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 11-1 this season, while the Yellowjackets fall to 5-7 on the year.
In addition to Kozlarek's double-double with a season-best .514 hitting clip, senior outside hitter Nathan Gustus (Mount Prospect, Ill.) and junior middle blocker James Grunst (Milwaukee, Wis.) each added nine kills for the Maroon and Gold, while Grunst tallied four block assists and Gustus had eight digs. Junior setter Brian Guntli (St. Louis, Mo.) contributed 24 assists and senior setter Ryan Martin (Lockport, Ill.) tallied a season-high 23 assists
The Ramblers started out game one with a 15-8 lead on a Grunst kill before Graceland closed to within 22-14 on a block by junior Gregory Harry and sophomore Kevin Allison. LU made its move with a 7-5 run to come within game point at 29-19 thanks to consecutive kills by senior outside hitter Chris Nelson (Racine, Wis.). Freshman outside hitter Joe Guntli's (St. Louis, Mo.) service ace on the next play gave the home team an early 1-0 lead in the match. The second game was a seesaw battle that five ties before the Ramblers started to move ahead of GU at 12-all with an 11-4 run to take a 23-16 lead. Freshman opposite hitter Matt Baleiko (Naperville, Ill.) tallied five service points during the run, while Kozlarek and Nelson added three service points apiece. Loyola finished the game with a 7-2 scoring drive that ended with a Gustus service ace to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Both teams continued to alternate leads in the third stanza, but the Ramblers later used another 6-1 run to turn a 13-13 draw into a comfortable 19-14 advantage. Graceland used a 14-7 run, which was its biggest of the evening, to eventually take a 28-26 lead. Kills from Martin and Nelson helped LU even the game at 28-28, but a freshman Ronson Olaso kill brought the visitors to game point. The Yellowjackets cut their match deficit at 2-1 with a block by sophomore Ainow Miyashiro and junior Rick Fera on the stanza's final play.
With a 10-10 score to open the fourth game, the Maroon and Gold used five Kozlarek kills as part of a 10-3 run to capture a 20-13 lead. Graceland stayed close with a 5-2 drive of its own to pull within 22-18 on a LU hitting error. The Ramblers later claimed a 27-19 lead on a Kozlarek kill and two Yellowjacket hitting errors before scoring three of the final four points to end the match.
Olaso recorded 11 kills and Miyashiro had a match-high 35 assists to lead Graceland. Sophomore Al Dupont tallied a match-best 12 digs, while three Yellowjacket players had three blocks in the match. LU posted a hitting percentage of .308 and forced GU to a .167 hitting clip. The Maroon and Gold managed to hold its advantage in several categories, including kills (67-41), digs (41-29) and service aces (13-1), but Graceland held a slim lead in blocks (9.5-9.0).
Loyola continues its five-match homestand at Alumni Gym with a non-conference test against two-time defending NAIA champion California Baptist on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.
