MATCH STATS
- #6 Loyola Chicago Def. #11 UCSB 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-17)
- #6 Loyola Chicago 5-2; #11 UCSB 3-2
- Chicago, Illinois (Joseph J. Gentile Arena)
- Box score
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – In a back-and-forth match, the home team – sixth-ranked Loyola Chicago – conquered 11th ranked UC Santa Barbara in four sets.
The match was incredibly tight throughout until the ending of the final game. The opening set saw 11 ties and four lead changes with 16 more ties and five lead changes in the second. Even in a third that UCSB took by seven there were nine ties and four lead changes early. That all changed in the fourth as the Ramblers exploded for the biggest set victory of the match.
Both teams were pretty even in multiple facets of the match, such as blocks (11-8 LC), digs (42-41 UCSB), aces (7-6 UCSB) and serve errors (15-18 LC). The biggest difference was a more efficient offense though.
That attack was led by with balance for Loyola Chicago – something that have proven throughout this season more so than UCSB. For instance, the Ramblers got 10 kills a piece from Collin Mahan (.138, 5 digs, 4 blocks, 2 aces), Jeff Jendryk (.500, 4 blocks, 4 digs) and Ricky Gevis (.348, 4 digs, 2 aces, 2 blocks). In total with Garrett Zolg (37 assists, 9 digs) facilitating, they hit .220.
UCSB did have Corey Chavers (18 kills, .208, 4 blocks, 4 digs, 3 aces) go off once again with Brandon Hopper (9 kills, .400) posting efficient numbers, but everyone else on the Gauchos hit just .018. That led to UCSB hitting .154 as a team with Randy DeWeese (39 assists, 11 digs, 4 aces, 3 blocks) setting.
This was the start of a three-match span with southern California teams for the Ramblers, who host #8 CSUN on Saturday and #14 USC next week. For UCSB, they stay on the road for three more as they go at #10 Lewis on Saturday and meet #3 BYU in Provo twice next week.
Press Releases
In Short
Three players totaled double-digit kills to lead a balanced attack and lead No. 7 Loyola University Chicago (5-2) to a 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-17 victory over No. 15 UC Santa Barbara tonight at Gentile Arena. The win is the Ramblers’ third over a nationally ranked foe already this season and extends their winning streak to three matches.
How It Happened
Loyola rallied from a 22-18 deficit, scoring seven of the final eight points of set one for an improbable 25-23 victory. A Keenan Sanders kill put the Gauchos on top, 23-20, but a kill from Devin Joslyn ignited a set-closing 5-0 run that was punctuated with a block from Collin Mahan, Garrett Zolg and Jeff Jendryk.
UC Santa Barbara claimed a two-point lead (20-18) late in set two on a Brandon Hopper kill, but much like set one, Loyola showed its resolve, wrapping up the action on a 7-3 run for a 25-23 victory and a two-set lead in the match. With the teams locked in a stalemate at 21, Jendryk hammered home a kill and Ricky Gevisfollowed with a service ace to put the Ramblers ahead to stay.
The Gauchos put together their best effort of the match in set three, hitting .265 (15-6-34) to collect a 25-18 victory and stay alive in the contest. A UCSB hitting error allowed Loyola to knot the score at 17, but the Gauchos then ripped off eight of the next nine points, sealing the win on a Corey Chavers kill.
Set four was a nip-and-tuck affair most of the way until Loyola pulled away late for a 25-17 decision. After UCSB pulled within a single tally, at 15-14, Jendryk delivered back-to-back kills, followed by another from Joslyn, as part of a decisive 5-0 run that provided the Ramblers with some breathing room on their way to their fourth win at Gentile Arena this year.
A Look At The Numbers
- Jendryk finished with 10 kills, four digs and four blocks, while hitting .500 (10-1-18), as he posted his second straight double-digit-kills performance.
- Gevis, who has been slowly working his way back into form after surgery last season, put together his best match of the year, going for 10 kills, four digs, two blocks, and a pair of aces.
- Mahan chipped in 10 kills to extend his streak with double-digit stops to eight matches dating back to last year.
- Zolg fell one dig shy of reaching his third double-double of the year, handing out 37 assists to go with his nine digs, while Avery Aylsworth delivered a career-high 15 digs.
- Chavers led UC Santa Barbara with 18 kills.
Up Next
Loyola puts its three-match winning streak on the line when it hosts No. 9 CSUN Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27) at 2 p.m.
CHICAGO – The season debut of freshman All-American Keenan Sanders and 18 kills from reigning Big West Player of the Week Corey Chavers proved to be not enough for the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara men’s volleyball team on Thursday night at Gentile Arena, as host Loyola University Chicago, ranked No. 7 in the country, emerged victorious 3-1 with set scores of 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-17.
Chavers, who became one of just four Gauchos in the last 10 years to record 24 kills in last Saturday’s upset of No. 10 Pepperdine, paced the Gaucho offense with his 18 kills. UCSB’s (3-2) offense ran through the middle more often than usual, with Sanders and Brandon Hopper putting down nine kills apiece. The latter had the most efficient night offensively, recording just one error on 20 swings for a .400 hitting percentage.
In the back row, sophomore libero Grady Yould set a new season-high for the second straight game with 15 digs. He was equaled by the Ramblers’ Avery Aylsworth, who also had 15 scoops.
LUC (5-2) had a balanced attack featuring three separate players (Collin Mahan, Jeff Jendryk, and Ricky Gevis) who finished with exactly 10 kills apiece. The home side out-hit UCSB .220 to .154.
Despite missing the first four matches of the season due to injury, Sanders was no worse for wear in the first set as he recorded four kills on five swings to help UCSB to a 23-20 lead. Unfortunately, the Gauchos saw that lead slip away as the Ramblers pulled off five consecutive points to steal the set, with a triple block capping off the rally.
The second set was the closest of the evening, as there were 16 ties and no team was able to open up a lead larger than two points at any time during the game. A service ace by Gevis gave LUC a momentous lead at 23-21, as that play was followed by three consecutive serve errors that set up game point for the home team, allowing Jendryk to put a kill away and go up 2-0.
UCSB responded with its best set in the third, hitting a match-high .265 (compared to .086 for Loyola). A dominant set by Chavers, including eight kills and an ace, was the biggest variable for the Gauchos. UCSB closed off the set with an 8-1 run off a 17-17 tie, with Chavers chipping in three kills during the spree, with sophomore setter Randy DeWeesechipping in another point off an ace and Brandon Hopper contributing a kill, one of his four of the frame.
Loyola got right back to business in the fourth, using a 8-2 mid-set run to take control and finish off the match.
UCSB looks to bounce back on Saturday afternoon at No. 10 Lewis. First serve is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. PT.
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