In Short…
GCU hands Loyola a second 3-2 defeat in as many days. The Ramblers got double-digit kills from Dane Leclair (13) and Will Tischler (12), but were stymied by GCU's David Kisiel's 17-3-32 outing.
 
Coach Hulse's Thoughts
"Coach Werle did a really nice job again," head coach Mark Hulse said. "I thought we competed better, but we were not sharp enough to beat a good team on the road."
 
How It Happened
The Ramblers racked up the kills early and often, totaling 10 in the opening set. A back-to-back sequence from Will Tischler anchored a 3-0 run that put Loyola up by four early at 6-2. Tischler stayed hot with a service ace to widen the lead to 10-4, giving the outside hitter 3.5 points early. After the Lopes narrowed their deficit to 10-6, Loyola exploded for a 6-0 run that featured an ace from Kyle Piekarski and a block from Paul Narup and Garrett Zolg. The initial point explosion turned into an 11-2 run for the visors that had another ace – this time off the serve of Collin Mahan. Now up 21-8, the Ramblers emptied the bench and finished the job by taking four of the next seven points.
 
The Lopes' 6-1 start put the Ramblers in an early hole that made the second set an uphill battle. Dane Leclair compiled two kills to counter the fast start, but it was short-lived as the deficit became 11-4 soon after. Tischler's fifth kill of the night made it a four-point GCU lead [12-8], but that would mark the closest Loyola would get. The Lopes rode two separate runs of 4-0 to grab leads of 19-11 and 23-13. The Ramblers clawed their way from down 10 to down seven, but the Lopes eventually won set number two, 25-17.
 
The third set unfolded in almost identical fashion as its predecessor. An early 9-4 lead put GCU ahead and in charge, which was later extended to 11-5 off of an Alex Shmelev ace. Mahan and Tischler registered their first kills of the stanza to try and spark a comeback, but the Lopes countered with a 3-0 run that extended their lead to 15-7 and forced another LUC timeout. Loyola did fight back, anchored by a 7-2 run that cut the deficit to three on two separate occasions (16-13, 17-14), but the tide turned with another hot stretch from the home team. A 6-1 run extinguished any Rambler comeback hopes, and claimed the swing-set by the same score as its first victorious stanza.
 
The fourth set was a point-trading showcase with nine ties and three lead changes. The first two-point lead came at the hands of the Lopes at 11-9, but Loyola immediately tied it up two points later. Down 13-11, the Ramblers took control of the frame with an 11-2 run that began with back-to-back Mahan service aces. Later on, Piekarski and Leclair teamed up for block to widen the run to 6-1, pushing the lead to 18-14. For good measure, another 4-0 run made the visitor's lead 22-15 and provided a large enough cushion for Loyola to tie the match up with a 25-19 set four win.
 
In the winner-take-all set, the teams battled to five separate ties up to the 6-6 mark. With GCU ahead 7-6, Shmelev registered just the Lopes' third service ace of the night, but it was a big one as it gave his team a two-point advantage when the squads swapped benches. Loyola captured three of the next four points to tie the set up again at 10-10, setting the table for its first lead. Zolg made a diving dig to save a point going in favor of GCU, leading to a sequence that Leclair finished off to put the Ramblers ahead, 11-10. However, the momentum halted there. Narup's kill tied the frame again at 12-12, but three straight GCU kills closed out the set in a blink of an eye and handed Loyola its second consecutive five-set defeat.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Paul Narup's three blocks (one solo) put him in a tie with Eric Daliege (2009-13) for the ninth most career stoppers in program history with 289.
-Dane Leclair's 13 kills led the Ramblers – setting a season-high for the co-captain.
-With three aces in the contest, Collin Mahan became the eighth Rambler to hammer 100 in a career.
-Saturday was the first time Loyola went with a different starting lineup than the one on opening night. Leclair got the start at opposite hitter.
 
Up Next
The Ramblers are back in action on March 14 for its annual regular season road tilt at Lewis. Loyola has defeated the Flyers in Romeoville three of the last four contests.