CHICAGO (February 12, 2021)
 
In Short
A hot-hitting Loyola University Chicago (7-0, 3-0 MIVA) squad hit .380 (42-12-79) as a team to pick up its seventh win in as many tries this season, disposing of Lindenwood (3-3, 0-3 MIVA), 25-17, 25-19, 26-24, tonight at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility. Cole Schlothauer and Luke Denton each totaled double-digit kills to pace the No. 13 Ramblers as they ran their winning streak to eight matches dating back to last season.
 
How It Happened
After Lindenwood jumped out to a 10-8 lead in the opening set, Denton slammed a pair of kills during a string of four unanswered points that put Loyola ahead to stay. The Lions got within a point on four separate occasions, but each time, the Ramblers had an answer. Later in the set, after an Alex Pappas cut the Loyola lead to 18-16, Schlothauer clubbed two kills during a 6-0 run that sealed the outcome on the way to a 25-17 victory.
 
Set two was a back-and-forth battle that ultimately resulted in a 25-19 Ramblers win. Diego Negron's kill put Lindenwood ahead for the final time in the set, at 11-10, before Denton started a 4-0 spurt with a kill, then teamed with Andrew Lyons for a block to give a Loyola a 14-11 lead it would never relinquish. Once Lindenwood closed within 16-14, Lyons recorded a kill and an ace during a run of four straight scores to bump the lead to a comfortable 20-14 margin.
 
Loyola pulled off an incredible rally in the third set to earn a 26-24 decision and the sweep. The Lions led by as many as eight points (18-10), thanks to a 10-1 run early on, but the Ramblers chipped away at the deficit and got within 22-20 as Schlothauer keyed the comeback with four kills during that run. Things looked bleak though, when back-to-back Lions points put the Ramblers in a 24-20 hole facing set point. However, consecutive kills from Schlothauer ignited a set-closing string of six unanswered points that lifted Loyola to an improbable 26-24 win.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• Schlothauer led Loyola with 12 kills and the redshirt sophomore has now totaled 10 or more kills in six matches this season.
• Denton continued his outstanding play this year, contributing 10 kills, six digs and five blocks, and Colton Brooks threw in nine kills of his own.
• Lyons was perfect on the night, finishing with six kills and no errors (6-0-6).
• Phil Swartz led all Lindenwood players with 10 kills.

 
Up Next
Loyola and Lindenwood finish up the two-match series tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT at the Alfie Norville Practice Facility.