CHICAGO -

Final Score: No. 10 Loyola 3, Saint Francis (Pa.) 0 (32-30, 25-19, 25-20)
Records: Loyola (13-8); Saint Francis (Pa.) (9-13)
Location: Gentile Arena -- Chicago, Ill.
Stats: Box Score  | Season Stats 

In Short
Ben Plaisted ripped a team-high 11 kills and tenth-ranked Loyola University Chicago hit .330 as a team en route to a 32-30, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) tonight in a non-conference match at Gentile Arena. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 13-8 overall, while the Red Flash drops to 9-13. Loyola has now won 42 straight home matches versus unranked teams.

How It Happened
Loyola built a 12-8 lead in the opening set before Saint Francis rallied to even the score at 16 thanks to an 8-4 run. A kill from Collin Mahan put the Ramblers on top, 23-22, but back-to-back stops had the Red Flash serving for set point leading 24-23. However, a Ben Plaisted kill kept Loyola alive and evened the score and the teams would trade points from that point on until Mahan broke a 30-30 stalemate with a kill. Jeff Jendryk finished things off with a service ace as the Ramblers pulled out a 32-30 win.

The Red Flash tallied three unanswered points two erase Loyola’s two-point advantage and grab a 12-11 lead in the second set. But Will Tischler provided a huge lift off the bench for the Ramblers tonight and his consecutive stops but Loyola back in front to stay and touched off a 6-1 run that gave LU a 17-13 lead. Saint Francis closed within 19-18, but Plaisted had a hand in three points (2 blocks, 1 kill) in a late 4-0 run that helped the Ramblers to a 25-19 victory.

Loyola got off to a bit of a slow start in the third set and trailed 7-5 before a Mahan kill ignited a 5-1 spurt that gave the Ramblers a 10-8 edge. Later in the set, Loyola was still in control of a two-point lead at 17-15, but pulled away thanks to kills from Paul Narup and Plaisted sandwiched around a Mahan service ace as part of a 3-0 run.

Inside The Box Score
- Plaisted has now tallied 10 or more kills in 11 consecutive outings.
- Jendryk notched nine kills to go with six blocks, while hitting .615 (9-1-13).
- Narup added six kills and seven blocks and Mahan pitched in nine kills.
- Jeff Hogan notched 13 kills to lead Saint Francis (Pa.).

Up Next
Loyola wraps up a four-match homestand tomorrow night when it hosts No. 13 Penn State at 7 p.m.