CHICAGO -- No. 7 Loyola Chicago dropped its home opener, falling 3-0 to No. 6 Pepperdine inside Gentile Arena on Friday, Jan. 23. The Ramblers battled throughout the night in front of 1,180 fans and pushed The Wave to the limit in the third set, but Pepperdine's efficency at the net and steady service pressure proved decisive.

Loyola's offense was paced by Aleksandar Sosa, who finished with 14 kills, and by Daniel Fabikovic, who had 12 kills and eight digs. Brad Bell led defensively with a match-high six blocks. 

Coach Quotes: Shane Davis
"Pepperdine is a great team, they're well-balanced and came in ready to go. I appreciate the energy that came off the bench; Josh Schellinger was a bright spot for us in set three. He added a spark, put up good numbers and served well, but we need to be better as a unit and learn quicker from our mistakes. Smitty [Alex Smits Van Oyen] has done a great job for us; he got thrown in the fire pretty early, but he's been training for this role and has put up pretty high numbers against really good teams. The crowd tonight was super helpful as we got into that third set, we just couldn't capitalize on the opportunities." 

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers found themselves in an early deficit, dropping a tough first set 25-15. Loyola trailed by as many as 10 points as Pepperdine never surrendered the lead. Sosa shed some light, but a mid-set run by The Wave put them out of reach. 

SET 2 | The second set featured several momentum swings early on, with both sides trading points through the midway mark. The Wave grabbed the advantage for good at 9-8 and used a late surge, highlighted by three service aces, to pull away down the stretch and secure the frame 25-20. 

SET 3 | Loyola delivered its strongest performance in the final set, putting up 20 kills and hitting .333 as a unit. It was the closest set of the night, featuring 16 tied scores and five lead changes, almost all of which came in the final rallies. The set was tied at 28-28 when a Loyola attacking error gave Pepperdine match point, and The Wave closed it out 30-28. 

Inside the Box Score

• Bell matched his season-high six blocks and Fabikovic matched his season-high eight digs. 
• Josh Schellinger saw his first minutes of the season tonight, recording the team's sole ace and contributing five kills and four digs. 
• Loyola's attack was helped by 36 assists from Alex Smits Van Oyen. The setter also put up a career-high four blocks. 

Up Next
Loyola stays home to host Quincy on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.