April 10, 2009

Final Stats

QUINCY, Ill. - The Loyola men's volleyball team was victorious in its first match of the week, defeating Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association rival Quincy, 3-1 (30-23, 23-30, 30-24, 30-21) Friday night in Pepsi Arena. The Ramblers improve to 13-9 (2-5 MIVA), while the Hawks drop to 17-31 (0-9).

Loyola raced out to an early 8-3 lead in the first game and never looked back. Kills by Michael Morice and Mike Bunting extended the advantage to seven (15-8) and maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way, as the Hawks never got closer than six at 26-20. Kills by Nick Lamoureux and Kyle Exline and several Quincy errors helped seal the 30-23 win.

The Hawks answered back in a big way to open the second game, building leads of 14-4 and 18-8, though Loyola would eventually pull within five at 23-28. It would prove to be too little too late, however, as Quincy was able to hold on for the 30-23 victory.

The third round was a battle through the midway point of the game, before the Ramblers used a 3-0 run keyed by a Krisjanis Berzins kill, Quincy error and Lamoureux service ace to take a 20-16 advantage. The Hawks came within one at 22-21, but Loyola outscored them 8-3 over the next several plays to claim a 30-24 win.

Down 13-9 early in the fourth game, Loyola bounced back with a 7-0 run to pull ahead by three, 16-13 and would never trail again. Kills by Lamoureux and Domenic Dewaele extended the lead to 21-15, as the Ramblers pulled away down the stretch to secure the match with a 30-21 victory.

Dewaele led the team with a season and match-high 18 kills, while Lamoureux added 14 kills and Bunting contributed 11. Exline also tallied a season and match-best with 56 assists and five digs and Berzins posted a team-high nine digs and seven kills for the Ramblers.

Loyola concludes its season series with Quincy tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. in Pepsi Arena.