Jan. 13, 2010
Box Score
CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team used a balanced attack and plenty of Carthage errors to cruise past the visiting Red Men, 3-0 (30-18, 30-14, 30-23) in the team's true season opener on Wednesday night (Jan. 13). The Ramblers (1-0) hit .364 for the match, while the Red Men (0-1) committed 36 errors on their way to a hitting percentage of .000.
"It was a good way to start the season," said Loyola head coach Shane Davis. "We picked right up where we left off against Windsor last week. It was also good to get some additional guys the experience and exposure later on in the match."
The teams exchanged points to begin the first set, with the score remaining even at 3-3. Two Rambler kills and a service ace from junior Mike Hutz helped Loyola take a 7-3 lead, but Carthage answered with a 5-3 run of its own to cut the Ramblers' lead to two at 10-8. Six consecutive Carthage errors propelled the Ramblers to a 10-3 run, leaving the score at 20-11. The Red Men put together three-straight points after two kills from Tom O'Connell before Loyola would take control for good with a 10-4 run to end the set.
The second set opened much like the first, with the two teams essentially trading points. With the score locked at 6-6, LU gained the lead for good at 9-6 on two Carthage errors and a Mike Bunting ace. The Ramblers ripped off five of the next seven points with Bunting and senior Matt Adler recording kills before sophomore Domenic DeWaele chipped in with an ace of his own to leave the score at 14-8. The Red Men then picked up two points before the Ramblers closed the set on a 16-4 run. Loyola hit .565 for the set behind four kills from Bunting and three from Adler.
The third set followed the trend of the first two frames, with the squads spotting each other five points. The Ramblers again took advantage of the error-plagued Red Men to open a four-point lead at 10-6 after kills from senior Kris Berzins and sophomore Brendan Styler. Carthage went on a 7-3 run to tie the set at 13 before taking a two-point lead two Rambler errors later. The set continued to go back and forth until the teams were tied at 22, when Loyola used five Carthage errors to open up a 8-1 run to end the match.
Bunting and Berzins led the Ramblers with six kills apiece, while Hutz recorded 14 assists and five digs to lead Loyola in both categories. Randy Hansen led the Red Men with 12 kills.
Loyola opens Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play on Friday night (Jan. 15) against No. 13 Ball State. The match is set for 7 p.m. in Alumni Gym.
