March 13, 2014
Postgame Comments | Box Score
CHICAGO - Thomas Jaeschke posted a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs as No. 1 Loyola returned from a 12-day break with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-12) win over George Mason tonight at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers improve to 16-1 on the season while the Patriots slide to 8-9 with the loss.
Loyola jumped on top early, riding three straight aces from Owen McAndrews to a 4-1 lead. Consecutive kills from McAndrews made it a 9-5 lead but George Mason was able to hang around and LU's lead was just two (13-11) before the hosts started to assert themselves. Kills from Jaeschke and McAndrews pushed the lead to five (17-12) and the Ramblers were never threatened from there, with a block from Peter Hutz and Nick Olson and a Patriots error closing out a 25-17 LU win in the opening set.
The Ramblers started out hot in the second set as well, scoring five of the first six points to play from the lead. The margin ballooned to eight (11-3) after kills from Joe Smalzer and Cody Caldwell and it was a 16-5 score after Smalzer and McAndrews combined on a block. George Mason used a mini-run to get back within seven but it was not nearly enough and a Smalzer kill gave LU another 25-17 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Jaeschke (5) and Caldwell (4) combined for nine of Loyola's 14 kills in the set and the Rambler defense held GMU to a scant -.080 (6-8-25) efficiency in the frame.
Jaeschke served up an ace on the opening point of the third set as Loyola was focused on closing out the match. The Ramblers scored the first five points of the set and never really looked back. A kill from Dainis Berzins gave LU an 11-4 lead and another George Mason error later made it a 15-6 game. The Patriots struggled to string together points and the Ramblers closed the set like they started it, scoring the final five points to close out the match.
Loyola hit .667 (16-2-21) in the third set and finished the match with a .473 efficiency, compared to .043 for the visitors.
Jaeschke's 10 kills and 10 digs marked his fourth double-double of the season and he received plenty of support from Smalzer (eight kills, four blocks), Olson (seven kills on seven swings) and McAndrews (five kills, three blocks, three aces). Hutz was terrific orchestrating the attack, handing out 33 assists.
Loyola takes the rest of the weekend off before facing No. 11 Lewis in a MIVA showdown on Tuesday night inside Gentile Arena.
