LORETTO, Pa. (January 29, 2021)
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In Short
Cole Schlothauer drilled 18 kills and Loyola University Chicago (3-0) hit .398 (47-12-88) as a team to earn a 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 victory over NJIT (0-1) this afternoon at DeGol Arena. With the win, the Ramblers stay perfect on the season, giving them their first 3-0 start since 2015.
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How It Happened
Two service aces from
Garrett Zolg, two kills from
Cole Schlothauer and a block, accounted for five unanswered points that broke an 18-18 tie and gave Loyola command in the opening set. NJIT trimmed the Ramblers' advantage to 23-20, but a Highlanders attack error followed by another kill from Schlothauer, his seventh of the set, gave Loyola a 25-20 victory in the opener. The Ramblers, who hit .345 (15-5-29), also received five kills from
Luke Denton in the first set.
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Kills from Denton and
Jimmy Meinhart were part of a string of four straight points that turned a one-point deficit into a 6-3 Loyola lead early on in set two and it would extend that advantage to as many as five points before NJIT mounted a late rally and evened the score at 20-20. But, much like set one, Loyola was tough down the stretch and a kill from Meinhart sparked a string of five unanswered points, capped by two kills from Schlothauer, to lift the Ramblers to a 25-20 victory.
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Loyola trailed 22-20 late in the third set, but three consecutive Highlanders miscues and a Denton service ace moved the Ramblers ahead, 24-22. A Luca Berger kill cut the Ramblers' lead in half, but Berger followed that point with a service error to give Loyola a 25-23 victory and a clean sweep of the Highlanders.
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A Look at the Numbers
- Schlothauer hit a scorching .500 (18-3-30) for the match and added eight digs to go with his match-high 18 kills.
- Denton was the only other Rambler with double-digit stops, finishing with 12 kills, five digs and three blocks.
- Colton Brooks contributed seven kills and Meinhart pitched in six, while Zolg totaled 41 assists, five digs and a pair of aces.
- Julian Meissner and Alvaro Gimeno led NJIT, which hit a solid .337 (44-12-95) as a team, with 14 kills apiece.
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Up Next
Loyola concludes the two-match road trip to Pennsylvania tomorrow afternoon when it faces Saint Francis (Pa.) at 1:30 p.m. CT.
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