Loyola vs. Cal Boxscore (PDF) 

BERKELEY, Calif. (August 26, 2017) 
 
In Short
Loyola University Chicago put up a fight, but fell to host California (1-1) 15-25, 23-25, 25-19, 17-25 this afternoon at the Cal Molten Classic. With the loss, the Ramblers fall to 0-2 on the season.
 
How It Happened
Loyola got off to a sluggish start, as the host Bears ripped off eight unanswered points early to turn a one-point advantage into a commanding 13-4 lead. The Ramblers fought back, using a 10-5 run highlighted by a pair of aces from Morgan Gresham and two blocks and a kill from Quinn Spieker, to close within 18-14, but Cal closed out the set on a 7-1 surge of its own to pick up a 25-15 win. Cal hit a sizzling .417 in the opener, compared to Loyola's .080.
 
The Ramblers nearly pulled off a stunning victory in the second set, wiping out a seven-point deficit to even the contest at 23 before falling, 25-23. Like they did in set one, the Bears benefitted from an early run, this one of the 9-2 variety, to snag a 12-5 lead. Loyola would trail 18-11 before charging back to tie the match at 23 thanks to a 12-5 surge that was capped by a Delilah Wolf service ace. However, Cal held on for the win, tallying the final two points on a Preslie Anderson kill and a Rambler hitting error.
 
Loyola stayed alive in the match with a 25-19 victory in set three, using a quick start to lead from wire-to-wire. After getting out to an early three-point lead (4-1), the Ramblers rattled off three straight points, the final two coming on kills by Elle Van Grinsven and Gabi Maciagowski, to seize a 14-8 lead, their largest of the set. Cal would storm back and made things interesting, getting with two points (21-19), but Spieker stopped the bleeding with a kill and would finish off the Loyola victory with a solo block to keep the Ramblers alive.
 
Cal pulled away in set four, using a 7-0 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-8 advantage and never looked back en route to a 25-17 victory. Loyola refused to go down without a fight, however, and sliced that six-point deficit down to 18-16, but the Bears countered with five consecutive points to gain some breathing room and push the lead back to 23-16.
 
Looking At The Numbers

• Maciagowski tallied a team-high 15 kills to lead Loyola and the junior has reached double-digit kills in each match this season.
• Spieker filled up the stat sheet with seven kills, five blocks, four digs and three aces, while Alex Nunez tallied a career-high 17 digs.
• Carmen Annevelink paced Cal with 13 kills.

 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up play at the Cal Molten Classic tonight at 7 p.m. Central when it battles UC Irvine.