Match Stats
- #10 Loyola def. #11 CSU Northridge 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 27-25, 18-25, 15-13)
- Loyola moves to 11-6, CSUN falls to 12-9
- Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California
- Attendance: 341
- Box Score
Playing in their first game of the Asica Tournament in Long Beach, the #10 Loyola Ramblers took down the #11 CSUN Matadors in a 5-set thriller befitting of the teams’ relative rankings.
The game saw a matchup of the country’s best offense (CSUN) against one of the country’s best defenses (Loyola), and it was the latter that were able to crack their opponents first in a 5-set grinder.
Loyola got 16 team blocks on the day, including 7 assists and 1 solo from Jeff Jendryk, to just 8 for CSUN. While CSUN dug 26 more balls than Loyola did and ultimately out-hit their opponents percentage-wise, they went cold at the wrong moments to let the Ramblers take the day.
CSUN had more kills (59-49) and assists (58-43) than Loyola, but Loyola had more aces (9-5) and fewer errors (24-34). CSUN still had the better day offensively, led by Dimitar Kalchev. Kalchev had 26 kills and hit .348 for 30.5 total points. His teammate CJ Suarez led all players with 21 digs.
Loyola was more balanced offensively with three players in double-figure kills, including 14 from Cole Murray to go with 3 aces and 4 block assists.
But it was the two-time All-American Jendryk who wound up making the difference for Loyola. He was involved in the Ramblers’ last 4 points, with 3 kills and a block assist to finish off the final set.
Videos
Loyola Highlights, Courtesy Rob Espero:
Press Releases
Courtesy Loyola Athletics:
Cole Murray recorded 14 kills to lead No. 10 Loyola University Chicago to a 23-25, 25-20, 27-25, 18-25, 15-13 victory over No. 11 CSUN (12-9) tonight at Walter Pyramid in the LBSU Asics Tournament. The win is the Ramblers’ fourth versus a ranked foe this season and improves them to 11-6 overall.
How It Happened
Two kills from Maki Parker were part of a 5-0 Matador run that put Loyola in a 13-9 hole midway through set one. The Ramblers charged right back and used a 6-2 run, capped by a CSUN error, to even the set at 15, and the clubs exchanged the next several points before consecutive tallies gave the Matadors a 23-21 advantage. Loyola would close within 24-23 on a CSUN ball handling miscue, but a Dimitar Kalchev kill capped the Matadors’ 25-23 victory.
In the second set, the Ramblers recorded three straight points, the final two coming on service aces from Murray, to open up a 15-11 lead. CSUN would fight back and another kill from Parker got the Matadors within a point (19-18), but back-to-back tallies, including a block by Jeff Jendryk and Ben Plaisted, pushed Loyola’s lead back to three and the Ramblers wouldn’t look back en route to a 25-20 win that evened the match at a set apiece.
Loyola found itself trailing 21-17 late in the third set before mounting a rally to earn a 27-25 victory. Led by Jendryk, who had a hand in four (3 blocks and a kill) of his team’s points in a 7-0 run, Loyola opened up a 24-21 advantage, but CSUN rallied to even the set at 24. After the teams traded points, a Matador service error and Collin Mahan kill finished off LU’s 27-25 win.
The Matadors used a 9-3 run early in the fourth set to break a tie and seize control with a 15-9 lead en route to a 25-18 victory. CSUN hit a whopping .480 (14-2-25) on its way to evening the match and forcing a fifth and deciding set.
A 4-1 spurt that featured a kill and a block from Plaisted gave Loyola a 10-7 lead in the final set, but that lead was short-lived as the Matadors stormed back to register six of the next eight points to stake claim to a 13-12 advantage. Jendryk took over from there, showing why he is a two-time AVCA All-America selection, tallying two kills and teaming with Ian Cowen on a block, as Loyola tallied the final three points for a 15-13 decision.
Inside The Box Score
– Ben Plaisted and Collin Mahan recorded 10 kills apiece.
– Jeff Jendryk totaled nine kills and eight blocks.
– Dimitar Kalchev ripped a match-high 26 kills for CSUN.
Up Next
Loyola takes on No. 2 Long Beach State tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Central to close out play at the LBSU Asics Tournament.
Courtesy CSUN Athletics:
NORTHRIDGE, CA – Sophomore Dimitar Kalchev pounded a career-high 26 kills but it wasn’t enough as No. 11 CSUN’s upset bid came up just short as No. 10 Loyola-Chicago pulled out a five-set non-conference victory Friday at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.
The Matadors (12-9) hit under .200 as a team for just the second time this season but Kalchev was a bright spot hitting .348 on 46 attacks. He narrowly missed his first double-double of the season with nine digs to go with three aces, giving him 55 for the season. The CSUN record for aces in a single season is 57 by Eric Vance in 2009.
Redshirt freshman Parker Maki also notched a season-high with 12 kills (.160) to go with five digs and two blocks. Fellow freshman Schylar Lillethorup came off the bench to add eight kills (.190) while Eric Chance chipped in six kills (.556) and two blocks.
Despite hitting .197 (59-34-127), the Matadors out-hit the Ramblers (.187) and had a 59-49 advantage in kills. CSUN also had a decisive edge in team digs (57-31) as senior libero CJ Suarez had a career-high 21. The 57 digs by the Matadors is the most in a match this season. CSUN setter Sam Porter also came within inches of a double-double with 50 assists and nine digs.
Loyola did post a sizable advantage in blocks as the Ramblers doubled up the Matadors 16-8.
CSUN takes on George Mason to close the Asics Long Beach Invitational Saturday at 5 p.m.
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