Boxscore (PDF) 

CHICAGO (January 12, 2018)
 
In Short
Seventh-ranked Loyola University Chicago (2-1) hit .302 (49-17-106) for the match and received a team-high 15 kills from junior Collin Mahan to earn a 25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22 victory over George Mason (1-3) tonight at Gentile Arena in the Ramblers' 2018 home opener. Loyola has won 43 of its last 44 home matches versus unranked teams.
 
How It Happened
Loyola came out of the gate fast, hitting a sizzling .474 (12-3-19) in the opening set to earn a 25-20 victory. The Ramblers scored the first four points of the match and later held an 8-3 lead that would grow to as many as six points (13-7) before George Mason battled back. A 10-4 Patriot spurt tied the set at 17 before consecutive kills from Jeff Jendryk, Ryan Jamison and Mahan gave Loyola the lead for good.
 
The Patriots grabbed hold of an 11-9 advantage in set two before the Ramblers mounted a rally by scoring four unanswered points, two coming courtesy of Mahan kills, to claim a 13-11 lead. But, a Jack Reese kill would kick off a 5-1 GMU run that gave the Patriots a 16-14 lead they would never relinquish on their way to a 25-19 victory that evened the match at a set apiece.
 
Loyola gained some separation in the third set by virtue of a 5-1 surge that turned a one-point lead into a 16-11 advantage. George Mason would make things interesting, closing to within 23-21 on a kill by Hayden Wagner, but back-to-back Patriots errors squelched any hopes GMU had of pulling off a come-from-behind win.
 
In the fourth set, the Ramblers seemed in control with an 18-13 lead, but the Patriots refused to go away without a fight, ripping off five straight tallies to knot the score. After the teams exchanged the next six points, Kyler Kotsakis drilled his 11^th kill of the night and Paul Narup turned away a GMU attack to give Loyola the lead for good at 23-21, with Jendryk and Jamison teaming up for a block to close out a 25-22 Rambler win.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• In addition to his team-high 15 kills, Mahan pitched in six digs and three blocks, while Kotsakis pounded out a career-best 11 kills.
• Jamison recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 13 digs.
• Narup continued his hot hitting, posting a .615 (8-10-13) hitting percentage, while adding four blocks and a service ace.
• Hayden Wagner led George Mason with a match-high 16 kills. 

Up Next
Loyola faces its third nationally ranked opponent of the young season tomorrow night when it welcomes No. 2 Long Beach State to Gentile Arena for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.