Feb. 19, 2010

Box Score

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The 12th-ranked Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team defeated Juniata, 3-0 (30-25, 30-26, 30-24), on Friday night (Feb. 19) in Huntingdon, Pa. Senior Matt Adler recorded a career-high 13 kills and hit .611 (13-2-18) for the match to lead the Ramblers (8-0) to their eighth straight win. Juniata falls to 4-4 with the loss.

"It was good to get the win on the road against a quality opponent," said Loyola head coach Shane Davis. "Juniata is the top-ranked team in Division III, so it was good to see our guys put up solid numbers against a good team. We also got some production off the bench, which was good to see."

Back-and-forth play ensued to open the match, with two straight kills by Evan Halteman giving Juniata a 6-4 lead early in the first set. An Adler kill and a Kris Berzins service ace tied the set at eight, but the Eagles tallied five of the next eight points to take a 13-10 lead. The Ramblers then ripped off an 8-4 run to take an 18-17 lead, with three Mike Bunting kills helping LU extend its lead to four at 23-19. Loyola would remain in front for the rest of the set, with another Adler kill closing the frame in favor of the Ramblers.

The two teams exchanged points to begin the second set, with a kill by Domenic DeWaele and a block by Adler and Mike Hutz giving LU a 10-7 lead. A Juniata error gave the Ramblers a four-point lead at 13-9. Loyola retained a multiple-point lead until the Eagles rattled off four straight points to tie the set at 19. Juniata took its largest lead of the set at 24-20 after back-to-back aces, but Loyola came roaring back after kills by Bunting and Mike Morice to retake the lead at 26-25. Four of the next five points then fell in favor of the Ramblers to give the visitors the 2-0 set lead.

"We started kind of slowly, but we eventually started to get more comfortable out there," said sophomore libero Tommy Becker, who finished the match with a team-high 12 digs. "We got crisper touches as the match went on, and then we just started getting more and more confident."

Loyola's momentum from the second set carried over to the third, as the Ramblers opened the frame with a 7-3 lead after three kills and a block by Adler. A kill by Ryan Mullsteff kept Loyola in front by four at 11-7, but Juniata took three of the next four points to cut the lead to two at 12-10. The Ramblers responded with a 5-2 run after two Berzins kills to extend their lead to five at 17-12. The teams went back and forth until a 4-2 LU run gave the visitors their largest lead of the match at 24-18. Loyola remained in front for the rest of the set, with a Berzins kill sealing the match in favor of LU.

Berzins posted 10 kills and 10 digs to earn his second double-double of the season. Halteman led the Eagles with 14 kills.

The Ramblers continue their weekend on the road when they travel to George Mason tomorrow night (Feb. 20). The match is set for 6 p.m. CT.