March 5, 2010

CHICAGO (March 5, 2010) - The 11th-ranked Loyola University Chicago
men's volleyball team downed Quincy, 3-0 (30-22, 30-22, 30-20), on
Friday night (March 5) to earn its 11th consecutive victory and set a
record for the best start in program history. The Ramblers (11-0
overall, 5-0 MIVA) hit .387 in the win over the visiting Hawks (4-8, 1-3
MIVA).

"It was good to come in and take care of business tonight," said Loyola
head coach Shane Davis. "They just upset Ball State a week ago, so we
knew we couldn't overlook them. It was also good to get some guys in who
haven't seen as much playing time this season."

Loyola jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the first set after
back-to-back kills from Mike Bunting. Matt Adler tallied a kill several
points later to extend the Ramblers' lead to six at 12-6 before a Chris
Zeidler kill cut it down to four at 14-10. A 5-2 run capped by a Domenic
Dewaele kill pushed the LU lead back up to seven at 19-12. Quincy
responded with a kill on the next play, but the Ramblers kept their
distance from the Hawks for the rest of the set, closing with an
eight-point edge after Bunting notched his fifth kill of the frame.

The teams traded the first eight points to open the second set, but a
6-1 Loyola run fueled by three straight Mike Morice kills gave the
Ramblers a 14-9 lead early on. Two kills helped the Hawks cut the LU
lead to three at 16-13, but LU kept the visitors at bay from then on,
using two Dewaele service aces and multiple kills from Dan Leis to take
a 2-0 set lead. Loyola hit a match-high .462 in the second set.

The momentum from a late push in the second set carried over into the
third for Loyola, as the hosts stormed out to a 10-2 lead after
back-to-back aces from Mike Hutz. The Ramblers' lead would only swell
from there, as another Leis kill gave LU its largest lead of the night
at 14-4. Three kills helped the Hawks come to within seven points at
20-13, but that would be the closest they would come to the Ramblers for
the rest of the match. A kill from Kris Berzins and two Quincy errors
helped LU close out the match and earn its 11th straight win.

Dewaele finished with a match-high 13 kills, while Bunting hit .800
(8-0-10) for the match. Peter Coley tallied 10 kills to lead the Hawks.

Loyola hosts Quincy again tomorrow afternoon (March 6) in Alumni Gym.
The match is set for 4 p.m.