No. 12 Loyola Knocks Off George Mason, 3-0

FAIRFAX, Va. (Feb. 20, 2010) - The 12th-ranked Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team defeated George Mason, 3-0 (32-30, 30-27, 30-18), on Saturday night (Feb. 20) in Fairfax, Va. After a come-from-behind win in the first set, the visiting Ramblers (9-0) took control of the match to earn their ninth straight win. Mike Bunting and Kris Berzins each posted 13 kills to help LU past the Patriots (3-5).

"It was good to be able to get the win, especially after being down early on," said Loyola head coach Shane Davis. "It was a great atmosphere to play in. George Mason's homecoming crowd had us rattled at first, but our confidence just kept building as the match went on."

George Mason came out swinging in the first set, using four kills to take an early 5-1 lead. A kill by Matt Adler and a block by Adler and Mike Hutz helped Loyola cut the deficit to two at 9-7. The Ramblers took four of the next six points to tie the set at 11, but the Patriots responded with a 9-3 run to up their lead to six at 20-14. After GMU recorded its largest lead of the set at 22-15, Bunting tallied four kills to help Loyola rip off a 9-3 run and climb back within one at 25-24. The teams exchanged blows before the Patriots reached set point at 29-27, but a 5-1 LU run fueled by two kills and a Berzins service ace helped Loyola take control and snag the first set.

Five George Mason errors helped Loyola take an 8-3 lead to open the second. Another Adler-Hutz block helped the Ramblers extend their lead to six at 13-7, but two kills by Michael Kvidahl helped the Patriots cut their deficit in half at 13-10. The teams exchanged the next several points before Loyola used two more GMU errors to take a five-point lead at 22-17. The Patriots cut the Ramblers' lead to two at 27-25, but LU took three of the next five points to end the set on top.

"I think we came out struggling early on," said Hutz. "We adapted to some of their players, made some changes and kept improving throughout the match. It was good to be able to play well on the road, especially since we have a big road game coming up."

The third set began with even play from both sides, with back-to-back solo blocks by Adler and Berzins giving LU a 9-7 lead early on. The Ramblers never looked back, as a two-point deficit at 9-8 would be the closest the Patriots would come to taking the lead for the remainder of the set. A 7-2 run gave Loyola a 16-10 lead, but multiple kills by Adler and Berzins helped the Ramblers to their biggest run of the night, an 11-3 swing to put LU up by 13 at 28-15. A kill by Ryan Mullsteff and another Berzins kill sealed the final set and the match in favor of Loyola.

Hutz and Adler finished with six blocks each to lead Loyola's defensive effort, while libero Tommy Becker tallied 10 digs for the match. Kvidahl finished with 14 kills to lead the Patriots.

The Ramblers return to Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play next Tuesday when they travel to take on No. 15 Lewis in Romeoville, Ill. The match is set for 7 p.m.