Match Stats
- No. 10 Loyola 3, Saint Francis (PA) 0 (32-30, 25-19, 25-20)
- Loyola moves to 13-8; Saint Francis falls to 9-13
- Chicago
- Attendance: 412
- Box Score
Junior opposite Ben Plaisted paced the Ramblers with 11 kills to go with a team-best seven digs and six blocks. Sophomore outside Collin Mahan and junior middle blocker Jeff Jendryk put down nine kills apiece. Jendryk pounded his down with a team-best .615 efficiency and also added six blocks, while Mahan chipped in a team-best two aces. Sophomore middle Jeff Narup paced Loyola at the net with seven stuffs to go with his six putaways.
For the Red Flash, senior opposite Jeff Hogan and junior Shaughn McDonald each posted double-digit kills, registering 13 and 10 respectively. Redshirt junior outside hitter Stephen Braswell tallied nine kills to go with a team-best four blocks, eight digs and an ace.
Loyola hit .330 on the night, while holding Saint Francis to a .173 effort. The Ramblers 14 team blocks played a big factor in that. Loyola also served up four aces on the night. The Flash did win the back court battle with 30 digs to LUC’s 25.
Set 1 was a back and forth affair. First, Loyola was on 12-8, then Saint Francis charged back to go ahead 18-17, thanks to a 5-1 run including two McDonald putaways. Braswell planted a kill to put the Flash ahead 24-23, but Plaisted answered for Loyola to extend the set. Loyola had four set-point chances, last at 28-27, before SFU earned one of its own at 29-28. A Mahan kill and an ace by Jendryk finally clinched the Ramblers the 32-30 win.
Loyola jumped out to an 8-4 lead in Set 2, but Saint Francis battled back to take a 12-11 lead of its own. Four kills, a block and an ace aided the rally. The Ramblers went up by four at 17-13, but again the Flash had an answer, knotting it up at 18 on a block. Plaisted tallied two kills and two blocks as Loyola scored seven of the final eight points for the 25-19 victory.
The teams split the first 16 points of Set 3, before three errors and two blocks gave the Ramblers a 14-10 edge. Saint Francis cut the margin to two at 17-15, but could not break through, falling 25-20.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy Loyola Athletics:
In Short
Ben Plaisted ripped a team-high 11 kills and tenth-ranked Loyola University Chicago hit .330 as a team en route to a 32-30, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) tonight in a non-conference match at Gentile Arena. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 13-8 overall, while the Red Flash drops to 9-13. Loyola has now won 42 straight home matches versus unranked teams.
How It Happened
Loyola built a 12-8 lead in the opening set before Saint Francis rallied to even the score at 16 thanks to an 8-4 run. A kill from Collin Mahan put the Ramblers on top, 23-22, but back-to-back stops had the Red Flash serving for set point leading 24-23. However, a Ben Plaisted kill kept Loyola alive and evened the score and the teams would trade points from that point on until Mahan broke a 30-30 stalemate with a kill. Jeff Jendryk finished things off with a service ace as the Ramblers pulled out a 32-30 win.
The Red Flash tallied three unanswered points two erase Loyola’s two-point advantage and grab a 12-11 lead in the second set. But Will Tischler provided a huge lift off the bench for the Ramblers tonight and his consecutive stops but Loyola back in front to stay and touched off a 6-1 run that gave LU a 17-13 lead. Saint Francis closed within 19-18, but Plaisted had a hand in three points (2 blocks, 1 kill) in a late 4-0 run that helped the Ramblers to a 25-19 victory.
Loyola got off to a bit of a slow start in the third set and trailed 7-5 before a Mahan kill ignited a 5-1 spurt that gave the Ramblers a 10-8 edge. Later in the set, Loyola was still in control of a two-point lead at 17-15, but pulled away thanks to kills from Paul Narup and Plaisted sandwiched around a Mahan service ace as part of a 3-0 run.
Inside The Box Score
– Plaisted has now tallied 10 or more kills in 11 consecutive outings.
– Jendryk notched nine kills to go with six blocks, while hitting .615 (9-1-13).
– Narup added six kills and seven blocks and Mahan pitched in nine kills.
– Jeff Hogan notched 13 kills to lead Saint Francis (Pa.).
Up Next
Loyola wraps up a four-match homestand tomorrow night when it hosts No. 13 Penn State at 7 p.m.
Courtesy: Saint Francis Athletics
Flash Points:
- Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) finished with a match-high 13 kills.
- Shaughn McDonald (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) was second on the squad with 10 kills and six digs.
- Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) led the Flash with four blocks and eight digs.
CHICAGO – The Saint Francis men’s volleyball team fell to No. 10 Loyola-Chicago in straight sets on Friday night at Gentile Arena. The Flash fell 30-32, 19-25, 20-25. The loss drops Saint Francis to 9-13 on the season, while Loyola improves to 13-8 on the campaign.
Jeff Hogan (Northern Cambria, Pa./Northern Cambria) finished with a match-high 13 kills, while Shaughn McDonald (Coraopolis, Pa./Our Lady of Sacred Heart) added 10 and six digs. Stephen Braswell (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern) led the Flash with four blocks and eight digs. Adam Kniffen (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) contributed with 39 assists.
Loyola was led by Ben Plaisted’s 11 kills.
Saint Francis and Loyola started the first set evenly matched before the Ramblers went on a 3-0 run to take a 12-8 lead. A Loyola ball handling error gave SFU an 18-17 lead. The teams stayed within a point of either other until a Braswell kill gave SFU set point at 24-23. However, the Ramblers fought off the Flash set point to make the score 24-24. The rest of the set remained a close battle but a Jeff Jendryk service ace ended the marathon match, 30-32.
The Ramblers carried the momentum from the first set to the second, taking a 7-3 lead. Kills from Keith Kegerreis (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) and Braswell sparked a 3-0 run to give the Flash a 12-11 lead. A pair of SFU miscues and two kills from the Ramblers ignited a 4-0 LUC run to make the score 16-12. Two Loyola attack errors and a Tony Nicotra (Allison Park, Pa./Deer Lakes) kill tied the score at 18-all. The Ramblers closed the set on a 7-1 run to take the set 25-19.
Saint Francis would take an early 7-5 lead in the third set. Loyola would score five of the next six points to take a 10-8 advantage. The Flash made it a one-point set, 10-11, but the Ramblers rattled off three-straight points, 14-10. Back-to-back kills from Kegerreis and Hogan and an LUC attack error forced Loyola to call a timeout, with the Ramblers leading 17-15. Loyola answered with its own run to put the game out of reach, taking the set 25-20.
Saint Francis returns to action tomorrow night against No. 7 Lewis at 7 p.m. CT.
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