BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's volleyball team went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's top teams, Loyola University Chicago on Saturday night. The Tornado won the second and third sets, but couldn't complete the comeback, falling 15-12 in the fifth set to drop the match 3-2.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #11 Loyola Chicago 3, King 2 (25-18, 20-25, 22-25, 15-12)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex, Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 1-6; Loyola Chicago 4-4
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- King held the advantage in the early going, taking a 7-3 advantage behind a pair of kills from Suetonius Harris and one form Chance Hoffman.
- The Ramblers came back and evened the tally at nine and before taking an 11-10 advantage.
- Loyola Chicago later went on a 6-1 run, including four straight to open up an 18-13 lead.
- The Tornado couldn't recover as the Ramblers took the set 25-18.
Second Set
- Hoffman and Diego Marcano recorded consecutive kills to start the set as King took a 3-0 lead.
- The Tornado lead grew to 14-9 before the Ramblers used a timeout.
- Loyola Chicago came back to get within 18-16, but Marcano and Kellan Kennedy came up with back-to-back kills.
- That gave King a 20-16 lead and forced another Rambler timeout.
- The Tornado held the lead there before a Harris kill and Aaron Milstead solo block gave King the 25-20 victory.
Third Set
- A Hoffman kill and ace from Milstead fueled a run that gave King an 11-7 lead and forced a Loyola Chicago timeout.
- King had an answer for each Rambler point as a block from Kennedy and Hoffman gave King a 20-15 lead and forced the second Loyola Chicago timeout.
- The Ramblers came back and pulled within 21-20, but King scored back-to-back points, the second on a block from Kennedy and Hoffman stretching the advantage to 23-20.
- A Harris kill later gave King the 25-22 win.
Fourth Set
- Loyola Chicago used a 9-2 run, including six straight points, early in the set to take a 12-5 lead.
- King used both of their timeouts and made a run late, but couldn't dig out of the hole as the Ramblers took the set 25-18.
Fifth Set
- Loyola Chicago scored the first two points and held that advantage early in the set.
- The Tornado deficit grew to 7-4, but Hoffman came up with a pair of kills on a 3-0 Tornado run that evened the score.
- A Kennedy block gave King a 9-8 lead, but the Ramblers came back with consecutive points to regain the lead.
- The Tornado deficit grew to 13-10 before the teams traded points, resulting in the Ramblers taking the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Marcano led King with 12 kills, eight digs and four blocks.
- Harris and Hoffman added 11 kills each with Harris adding 10 digs for the double-double.
- Kennedy accounted for a match-high 10 blocks, including three solo stuffs. He added eight kills.
- Noah Melendez match Harris with a match-high 10 digs.
- JT Deppe handed out 34 assists and added six digs.
FOR THE FOES
- Parker Van Buren led Loyola Chicago with 18 kills and six digs.
- Henry Payne added 14 kills, three digs and six blocks.
- Garrett Zolg handed out 36 assists and added a team-high eight digs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Kennedy set a career-high with 10 blocks. His previous best of four came last season.
- King set a season-high with 12.5 blocks.
- The two set wins for the Tornado against a ranked team match the total sets won in program history. King took a set off of Loyola Chicago in 2018 and again in 2020.
UP NEXT
- King travels to take on Limestone University on Friday. First serve from Gaffney, S.C. is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
- Loyola Chicago next hosts sixth-ranked Grand Canyon University on Friday night.
