Box Score

In Short…
Led by four players in double figures in kills, No. 6 Loyola University Chicago picked up a 25-16, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21 victory over visiting King tonight inside Gentile Arena.  With the win, the Ramblers improve to 14-3 overall (6-1 MIVA), while King drops to 11-4.  
 
How It Happened
Loyola jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the opening set after a kill by Ricky Gevis that was followed by a Colin Mahan service ace.  With the Rambler lead sitting at 11-8, Garrett Zolg fed Jeff Jendryk to spark a 5-1 spurt for the Maroon & Gold that pushed the margin to 16-9 as Loyola cruised to a 25-16 victory in the first set.
 
Both teams struggled to gain separation as part of a back-and-forth second set.  With the Ramblers holding on to a slim 14-13 edge, King used a 5-1 run of its own that was punctuated by a Nick Drooker service ace to surge in front, 18-15, and force a Rambler timeout.  With the Tornado threatening to even up the match at a set apiece, leading by a count of 23-21, Loyola rattled off four unanswered points, the last of which came on a block by Jendryk and Ryan Jamison, to pull off a 25-23 triumph.
 
The third set followed a similar script to that of the second early on, with both teams jostling for position.  A 3-0 King spurt gave the visitors a 12-9 edge and prompted a Rambler timeout.  Loyola answered back, evening the score at 14-14 on kill from Collin Mahan.  The visitors refused to go away quietly on the night as they finished the frame with a flurry, closing out a 25-21 win following a kill from Adam Krzos to force a fourth set.
 
Loyola looked to take control early on, with Gevis' second ace of the evening helping send the Ramblers out to a 5-1 lead.  The Tornado roared back behind the serving of Drooker to pull level at 11 all.  Another Gevis hammer reestablished a three-point edge for Loyola, 15-12.  King continued to hang around, battling back to within one at 18-17, but the Ramblers would prove to be too much, wrapping up a 25-21 victory on Mahan's 15^th kill of the night.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Mahan paced the Rambler attack with his aforementioned 15 kills to go along with a team-high 10 digs, while Jendryk (12), Jamison (10) and Kyle Piekarski (10) also all reached double figures.
- Zolg handed out a game-high 52 assists.
- Jeff Sprayberry led King with 15 kills.
 
Up Next
Loyola looks to keep rolling tomorrow night when it wraps up a three-match homestand against Lincoln Memorial at 7 p.m.