In Short…
Loyola got its first victory of the season by way of a 3-0 sweep vs. North Greenville on Saturday (Jan. 5). The Ramblers got six kills each from Paul Narup and Kyle Piekarski, while Narup added five blocks.
 
Coach Hulse's Thoughts
"It was a good win, we're just hoping to meet our standard this time a year," head coach Mark Hulse said. "This time a year you just need to play good volleyball. [We] don't know what the other teams are going to do – scouting aren't worth much this time of year so you just try and be good on your side of the net. I thought by and large we met that standard."
 
How It Happened
Loyola hit .462 in the opening set to keep pace with the persistent attack of NGU. The early potions of the frame saw back-and-forth action, but a Narup solo block gave Loyola a 9-8 lead they kept the rest of the way. The Crusaders hung tough, but three straight kills from Narup, Piekarski and Collin Mahan put Loyola ahead 21-17 and in perfect position to control the tempo. The hot stretch continued after an NGU timeout with a 4-0 run to win the set at 25-18, capped off by a Luke Denton service ace.
 
Set number two was all Loyola from start to finish. Nine straight points out of the gate saw four kills, four blocks and an ace that propelled the Ramblers to the 9-0 lead. The large cushion allowed Hulse to utilize his depth on the bench to carry the load through the set two victory that Loyola led from start to finish. Eight different players recorded a kill for 12 total, and the Maroon and Gold cruised to a 25-12 victory.
 
North Greenville got back to its pesky habits in the third set and jumped out to two-point leads of 6-4 and 8-6. Despite the difficult play from its opponent, Loyola found a way to re-take control of the tempo after six ties before a Dane Leclair kill thrusted his team in front at 15-13. NGU quickly tied it back up, but Loyola responded with a 3-0 run that put them in front for good. Loyola compiled eight kills after the 15-15 mark, including the final nail in the coffin from Devin Joslyn to complete the sweep with a 25-23 set three win.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Loyola's .438 attack is the first time hitting over .400 since Mar. 17, 2018 at Lewis.
-Paul Narup notched his first match of his senior season with multiple solo blocks. He had three last year.
-Garrett Zolg led the Ramblers with eight digs, marking the first time since March 29, 2018 he led the team in that department for a match.
-Seeing action in two sets, Devin Joslyn tied his personal best with five kills – the third time he's recorded that amount in a match.
 
Up Next
Loyola takes a quick road trip on Jan. 11-12 in Bristol, Tenn. to square off against two more Conference Carolina opponents. That Friday's matchup is a neutral site contest vs. Mount Olive (4 p.m. CT) while Saturday's challenge is against the defending CVAC Champion in King University (7 p.m. CT).