Jan. 25, 2014
Final Stats
CHICAGO - Joe Smalzer and Nick Olson each drilled 8 kills as No. 2 Loyola University Chicago swept No. 13 Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. tonight. With the three-set win (25-19, 25-14, 25-14), Loyola improves to 6-1 on the season while Harvard falls to 0-3.
"It was great to go 2-0 on our first road trip and get wins against two quality teams," said head coach Shane Davis. "We're ready to turn our focus to Ohio State and our upcoming conference matches."
The opening set was close throughout, featuring seven tie scores. After an Owen McAndrews kill gave Loyola a 10-9 lead, the Ramblers scored four unanswered points to take control of the match. The two teams traded points until a kill from Harvard's Kyle Rehkemper brought the Crimson within four points and made the score 20-16. After another McAndrews kill, Harvard scored three unanswered points but could not overtake Loyola. The Crimson ended the set on three consecutive attack errors, and the Ramblers took the set 25-19 behind a .480 team efficiency.
In the second set-- which featured three lead changes-- Loyola jumped out to an early lead off a Peter Hutz kill which made the score 8-5. Several points later, Harvard fell prey to four attack errors, and Loyola's 13-7 lead forced a Crimson timeout. After the break, Loyola continue to run away with the set, leading by as many as 10 points after a Joe Smalzer ace made the score 20-10. The Ramblers would go on to win the set 25-14, holding Harvard to a mere -.160 hitting percentage throughout.
McAndrews opened the third set with a kill, setting the tone for Loyola's eventual sweep. After a kill from Harvard's Caleb Zimmick tied the score at 1-1, the Ramblers scored six unanswered points to force a Crimson timeout. Several points later, Loyola held their biggest lead of the night, 11 points, when a Thomas Jaeschke kill made the score 21-10. The Ramblers held an 11-point lead five more times throughout the match, with the final instance coming after a Torey Darin kill closed the set 25-14.
Olson and Smalzer led Loyola with 8 kills a piece, with Cody Caldwell contributing 7 of his own. For the seventh time this season, Olson also led the team defensively at the net with 4 blocks.
Loyola outhit their opponent .515-.044 and enjoyed a 42-23 advantage in kills.
The Ramblers are back in action on Feb. 1 when they take on Ohio State inside Gentile Arena to open the MIVA regular season. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
