In Short…
Loyola began MIVA play with a 3-0 win, its sixth straight-sets victory of the season.
Collin Mahan picked up another match of double-digit kills and led the team with three of LUC's seven aces.
Coach Hulse's Thoughts
"It was a great way to start off conference play," head coach
Mark Hulse said. "We have plenty to work on, but it's always nice to get a road win in conference."
How It Happened
Hulse stuck with the same starting lineup he's used all season and got all of the attackers to hit at least .260 on the night – equating to a .360 team attack percentage. While the kills would come in bunches, it was two straight service aces from Mahan in the opening set that got the ball rolling. Having the slim lead to work with, Loyola worked its way to a larger 9-5 cushion with three consecutive kills. Moments later,
Luke Denton's kill made it 11-6 and forced a Quincy timeout. The pause in the action didn't help the Hawks much as Loyola since LUC took nine of the next 14 points to double QU up at 20-10. Quincy fought back, but a 3-0 Rambler run closed the set for a 25-14 win.
Quincy saw its first lead of the match at 8-7 in the second frame, but Loyola quickly extinguished the Hawks' momentum with a 6-1 run that put them ahead 13-9. Later on
Will Tischler and Mahan each posted kills to force Quincy into another timeout with the LUC lead now at 16-11. That timeout better suited the Hawks as they countered with a 3-0 run to trim their deficit to 16-14. But a final 3-0 Rambler run that had two kills and an ace put them back in control and paved the way for a 25-20 win.
The Hawks enjoyed the first significant run of the third set early at 4-0. Down 4-2, Loyola worked its way back to a 7-7 tie off kill number six on the night from Denton. Quincy played the Ramblers tough all the way to the 15-14 mark, but Loyola took over with a 5-0 run that changed the complexion of the stanza.
Paul Narup, Tischler, Denton and Mahan (twice) all got kills in that stretch to make Loyola the first team to the 20-point mark, a lead that stood at 20-14. A brief halt in the point explosion occurred to bring Loyola's lead down to 21-17, but the Ramblers ended the set with a 4-1 run that had two kills and an ace from Mahan to cap off his 13-point night.
A Look at the Numbers
-Collin Mahan picked up three more service aces for his third straight match of multiple.
-Mahan's seven digs marked the second straight match he's had at least a share of the team lead.
-Loyola is now 6-1 following a win this season.
-The win was the program's 50
th all-time vs. Quincy
Up Next
The Maroon and Gold finish off its road swing tomorrow night (Feb. 9) against Lindenwood. First serve of the Saturday night tilt is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
