Boxscore (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif (March 8, 2018)
 
In Short
Collin Mahan crushed a team-high 17 kills but it wasn't enough as No. 6 Loyola University Chicago (15-4) saw its five-match winning streak halted with a 24-26, 23-25, 25-17, 23-25 loss at No. 14 Concordia Irvine (9-9) tonight at CU Arena. The Ramblers out-hit the Eagles, .260 to .206 for the match but couldn't close out the close sets.
 
How It Happened
Concordia Irvine strung together a 7-2 run that turned an 11-11 tie into an 18-13 lead in the opening set. The Ramblers roared back however, using a 6-2 run of their own, which included two kills from Mahan, to trim the deficit to 20-19. Loyola found itself in a 24-22 hole before tallying consecutive points on kills from Mahan and Ryan Jamison that evened the score at 24. However, the Eagles responded by recording the next two points to earn a 26-24 victory.
 
Four unanswered Eagles points allowed Concordia Irvine to break open a 15-11 advantage in set two before the Ramblers rallied once again. This time, it was a 7-4 spurt that got Loyola back into the thick of things, but a Rambler service error , followed by a Jonathan Predney kill, gave CUI some breathing room en route to a 25-23 decision.
 
The Ramblers broke free in set three thanks to a mini 4-1 surge, highlighted by a pair of blocks from Paul Narup, that turned a slim one-point edge into an 18-14 lead. From there, Loyola never permitted Concordia Irvine to get closer than four points as it rolled to a 25-17 victory after hitting .400 (11-3-20) in the set.
 
Loyola appeared primed to send the match to a fifth and decisive set when it jumped out to a fast 4-0 lead to start off set four. CUI punched back though and used an 8-4 run to tie the score at 8. The Ramblers would eventually claw their way back from a three-point hole and grabbed a 21-20 lead on Will Tischler's kill, but the Eagles wrapped up play by tallying five of the final points to claim a 25-23 victory that ended Loyola's winning streak at five contests.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Mahan finished with 17 kills and Ricky Gevis came close to recording a triple-double, going for 13 kills, eight digs and seven blocks.
• Garrett Zolg doled out 46 assists and dug a match-best 15 balls for the Ramblers, who also received seven kills and nine blocks from Jendryk.
• Concordia Irvine's Raymond Barsemian led all players with 18 kills on the night.

 
Up Next
Loyola finishes up its west coast road trip on Saturday when it visits No. 7 Pepperdine at 7 p.m. CT.