In Short…
Loyola put together a complete effort en route to a road sweep of No. 11 CSUN. Luke Denton registered a career high 15 kills while Collin Mahan picked up another double-double.
 
Coach Hulse's Thoughts
"I'm really proud of the way the group prepared and executed on the front end of a tough road trip," head coach Mark Hulse said. "The guys played smart volleyball at tough moments, and we battled for a win against a very good team."
 
How It Happened
The two heavyweights went punch-for-punch in the opening set. After 26 ties and eight lead changes, Loyola pulled out a 34-32 win to go up 1-0. Six kills apiece from Mahan and Will Tischler paced the Ramblers' attack while 15 assists from Zolg marked the third time he notched that total in a single frame. Once it was official 25 points wouldn't win the set, CSUN held off six Loyola set points before a Denton kill completed the set one win for the road team.
 
Despite CSUN holding the early lead, Denton led the charge for Loyola in the middle frame with seven kills. His kill to cut the deficit to 14-13 sparked a 4-1 run that put the Ramblers ahead 16-15. After another kill from the freshman tied it at 17-17, the Maroon and Gold took off with a 6-1 run to win the second set, 25-19. All three pin hitters had nine kills with the team hitting .388 after two.
 
Each team traded points in the third set to the tune of 10 ties up to the 16-16 mark. The performance on both sides was even in a handful of categories, such as each team logging 12 kills. However, a costly CSUN service error gave Loyola the lead at 17-16 and they never looked back. Paul Narup and Mahan teamed up for a massive block on the next point, and the Ramblers were catapulted on another set-ending run, this time with eight of the final 13 points to finish off the impressive victory in 3-0 fashion.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Three Ramblers tallied double-digit kills in a match for the third time this season.
-Loyola evened up the all-time head-to-head series with CSUN at four matches apiece. It was the Ramblers first road win at CSUN since 2011.
-The Maroon and Gold improved to 2-1 this season against both ranked AVCA teams and Big West teams with the win.
-Collin Mahan notched his sixth career double-double, and his second in a span of three matches.
 
Up Next
Loyola finishes off the California trip tomorrow night (Jan. 26) against No. 10 UC Santa Barbara. First serve between the Ramblers and Gauchos is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT.