Transfer Aleksander Sosa plays against former team and leads in kills to support the Ramblers’ sweep.
Transfer Aleksander Sosa plays against former team and leads in kills to support the Ramblers’ sweep.
Loyola men’s volleyball swept Quincy University Jan. 24 in Gentile Arena. Ten kills from third-year opposite hitter Aleksander Sosa assisted the Ramblers in the win, with Hawks’ second-year opposite side hitter Bauer Larson and third-year outside hitter Barnabas Fenyvesi tying for eight kills.
The first set began with a kill from Junior outside hitter Daniel Fabikovic and two attack errors from Quincy, bringing the score to 3-0 Loyola. Fenyvesi followed this with the Hawks’ first kill to help them put a point on the board.
A kill from Sosa was followed by a block assist by graduate student outside hitter Josh Schellinger and third-year middle blocker Aidan Klein to give the Ramblers a lead, 5-1.
Klein and Hawk’s second-year middle blocker Tomas Badan alternated kills. A service error and a service ace from graduate student setter Pawel Tuz brought the score the closest yet at 8-5.
Kills were traded between Fabikovic and Larson after errors from each team. Before back-to-back service aces from third-year opposite hitter Lukas Anderson boosted the Ramblers to a 15-9 lead.
Schellinger tallied two kills that alternated with a kill from Larson. The Hawks went on a 3-0 run with two errors from Loyola and a kill by Fenyvesi, trying to close the gap 18-13.
The teams alternated points until Fabikovic tallied a kill for Loyola that was followed by an ace by second-year setter and opposite hitter Alex Smits Van Oyen, bringing the Ramblers up to a 23-15 lead.
After a Fenyvesi kill, Loyola’s fourth-year middle blocker Brad Bell tallied a kill. A block assist by Bell and Sosa closed the match with a Loyola win of 25-16.
Klein got the Ramblers going in the second set with two kills. Larson started the Hawks off with one. Two Loyola errors kept the score close to start the set at 4-3, with the Ramblers in the lead.
Loyola went on a 3-0 run that consisted of block assists from Smits Van Oyen, Klein and Schellinger and an ace from Schellinger that brought Loyola up 7-3.
After a kill by Hawks’ third-year outside hitter Alex Barkley, Schellinger and Fabikovic tallied consecutive kills.
Fabikovic went on a run with back-to-back kills and an ace, helping Loyola gain an eight point lead at 14-6.
A series of kills kept the set going with four Rambler kills from Sosa, Klein and Fabikovic along with two Hawks kills from fourth-year outside hitter Zackary Zdrojeski and Badan. The Ramblers still held onto a lead of 21-10.
An ace by Rambler’s first-year outside hitter Ayden DesLauriers and errors from each team brought the set to set point with a score of 24-11.
The Hawks didn’t let the Ramblers win easily, going on a 3-0 run with kills from Larson and second-year middle blocker Isaiah Travis and a Loyola error.
The Ramblers closed out the second set with a 25-14 win after a service error from the Hawks.
A kill by Sosa and errors from each team started off the third set. A kill by Badan was met with one by Rambler’s third-year outside hitter Bryce Robbins, starting the set off with a 3-2 Loyola lead.
The Hawks went on a 3-0 run to secure their first lead of the game at 5-3, with two kills from Fenyvesi and an ace from Badan.
Robbins tallied two kills for the Ramblers while Larson tallied two for the Hawks, keeping the Hawks in the lead, 8-7.
To regain the lead, the Ramblers tallied three kills from first-year middle blocker Oskar Berg Mikkelsen, Sosa and Klein. The Hawks’ Barkley tallied a kill for them, bringing the score to 13-10 with Loyola ahead.
Sosa and Fenyvesi went back and forth with kills, keeping the set close. The Ramblers and the Hawks battled it out with block assists from Berg Mikkelsen and Robbins and then Larson and Badan.
With a score of 17-15, Berg Mikkelsen tallied a kill before two Loyola errors, keeping the score close at 18-17, Loyola still leading.
A kill by Sosa and an ace by Berg Mikkelsen helped the Ramblers pull slightly ahead until Larson tallied another kill for the Hawks, making it 20-18.
To bring the set to match point, the Ramblers went on a 4-0 run where the Hawks had an error, Schellinger and Klein assisted a block, Klein tallied a kill and Anderson had a service ace.
Securing the sweep, Anderson tallied a kill for the Ramblers, ending the set with a final score of 23-19.
Ramblers head coach Shane Davis said this win will allow the team to gain some confidence in areas where they have been struggling.
“I think overall, as a unit, we were just better,” Davis said. “Tonight was an opportunity.”
Sosa, who got the chance to play against old teammates, spoke on the oddity of tonight after transferring from Quincy to Loyola at the start of this year.
“It was kind of a weird night to play with some of the guys that were familiar with me for two years now,” Sosa said. “Obviously, I was happy to play against them after a while, to see where they’re at.”
The Ramblers play next in Gentile Arena Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. against Manhattan University. Streaming will be available on ESPN+.
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