STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 10 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team slipped in straight sets (19-25, 13-25, 20-25) to No. 8 Stanford Sunday evening at Burnham Pavilion. Colton Brooks, who grew up 29 miles from Stanford, logged a team-high nine kills.

"It was a really good opportunity to play against a veteran team like Stanford," said Loyola Chicago head coach John Hawks. "It was a quick turnaround after Hawai'i, so we gave some opportunities to some guys who work hard in the practice gym and deserve it. For some of them, it was their first real start. I liked our play at times, but on the other side of it, I just wanted us to compete, and I don't think we did."

How it Happened
With its best hitting percentage of the night (.526), Brad Bell and Miller Trubey posted Loyola's first two kills from Ryan McElligott, but the Cardinal opened the first set on a 6-2 run to take an early lead. The Ramblers hung tight and within five points for most of the set, but a 5-1 run from home squad built its lead to 21-13. Loyola scored five points at 22-15 to make things interesting, which included two points on Stanford's set point, but the Cardinal ended the set after a LUC service error.

In the second set, Stanford raced out to a 17-6 advantage as the team hit .563 and racked up 10 kills with just one error. Loyola Chicago got to the 13-point mark after Kevin Lamp's error and Brook's kill from McElligott, but the Cardinal laid down a kill to end the run before two Loyola errors ended the second frame.

Searching for an early end to the affair, Stanford owned its largest lead of the set (21-15), but the Maroon and Gold refused to go away quietly. Josh Gottlieb posted a massive kill to ignite a 5-2 run, making the score 23-20, Stanford. But the home squad posted a kill and an ace to end the set and match.

Notes

• Nine Ramblers recorded at least one point in the match.
• Brooks led with nine kills on 26 swings. He added an ace, two assists, a block, and two digs as well.
• Aidan Klein laid down three blocks at the net while McElligott added a pair as well.
• McElligott rounded out his night with 21 assists to lead the team, tying the match-high.
• Charlie Ledford had a team-best four digs.

Up Next
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night for a rematch before the Ramblers return home. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT on PAC-12 Networks.