Fresh off the third-place finish in the Best of the West Tournament in San Diego, the Cubs returned home to face off against Servite. Hoping to return to winning ways after losing to Pacific Palisades in the final game of the tournament, the Cubs boast a 9-2 record heading into the matchup against the 8-7 Friars.

Starting Six

6’4” Senior Will Campbell

6’4” Junior Luke Turner

6’3” Junior Henry Wedbush

5’10” Senior Nico Posivak

6’5” Junior Cameron Lynch

6’3” Freshman Dillon Klein

Set 1

The Cubs had the first serve but not the first point as they fail to block a hit that comes form the opposite side of the Friars. The away team doubles their pointage right away when a block lands right back on the Cubs’ side of the net. The Cubs then win the next two points: one from Klein’s opposite hit and one from a Friars that flies out. The Friars contest with two consecutive points of their own off a miscued spike and weak block. The Cubs finally get out of their funk Posivak bumps one over the net to open real estate, the ball landing at the one spot. Wedbush comes up with a block to tie but the Cubs completely misread two hits and surrender another two point run. The Cubs only weaken their position when they get caught out of rotation. They recover when they make a sneaky play that sets Klein up without blockers for the point. However, the Cubs send their spike past the end line to give up a point. The Friars fortunately do the same and Luke is able to force one past blockers to make it a one-point deficit. The Cubs send a hit out and lose the next point when a block lands on their side. The Cubs then get blocked again before a serve flies out of bounds. Weak blocking hands in the middle mean that the Cubs give up yet more points, trailing by four. The Friars send a hit out of bounds to gift the Cubs a point but the home team sends its serve out of bounds before doing the same with a hit from the opposite side. Coach Boehle has seen enough at 9-14 and calls the first timeout of the game. Out of the break, the Cubs lose yet another point when they cross under the net but win one when Servite sends a serve into the net. The Cubs again find themselves on the wrong end of a hit but make some heads up plays that allow Turner to find the empty space. Klein wins another point when his blocked hit lands out of bounds. The Cubs again find Klein where the exact same scenario occurs. The Friars get scared when Klein goes to block and send a tip out of bounds shortly before muscling a hit past the end line. The Cubs cut the set to a 15-16 deficit before Servite decides to call timeout to quench the heat of the Cubs. Out of the timeout, the Cubs again have poor blocking and find themselves with no chance to dig a hit. Klein bails the Cubs out once more though when his hit ricochets off blockers and out of bounds. The Cubs send a serve out of bounds but Mortimer responds with a powerful hit from the middle. The Friars send a hit into the net and allow the game to be tied before the Cubs are called for a footfall on the serve. Mortimer converts another kill when they find him and the Cubs force a Friar hit to fly out the side for the lead. The Cubs miss the serve but making some stellar one handed plays to find Turner on a spike for the 21-20 lead. The team again finds Turner who outmuscles blockers for the 22-20 lead. The Friars block a hit to cut the two-point lead and a mishit from the Cubs ties the game at 22 with a Servite serve. Turner hits one from the outside to restore the Cub lead before Klein gets a block from the opposite side to double the advantage. The Cubs lead 24-22 when Servite uses their second timeout to try to steal the set. Turner serves one that proves too hot to handle as the Friars can only manage a hit that soars out of bounds off his service.

Score 25-22

Set 2

The six that starts the second set is the same six that started the game. Much like the first set, the Cubs give up the first point when a Friar muscles past the Cub blockers. The Friars then dig consecutive hits from the Cubs before finding someone on the back line with poor footing for the point. The Cubs finally get some points on the board when they get two blocks to favor them. They follow up the tying effort by getting bailed out on a Friar foot that wanders under the net. Campbell gets an ace with an off-speed serve to the one spot. The Cubs then miss a serve and fail to communicate to allow the lead to slip. Fortunately, the Friars miss two serves in the time that the Cubs fail to dig one to tie the game. The Cubs block one but have it ricochet out of bounds against their favor. The roof does the Cubs a disservice when it hits the ball out of the Cubs reach but Turner kills one from the back row to make sure the Cubs go back ahead. The Cubs fail to dig one but goad the Friars into touching the net for the point. A block from the middle means the Friars win the next point but Campbell gets a kill shortly before Turner does to win the lead. The Friars hit one from the opposite side, though, and beat two blockers to respond. The active Cub bench distracts enough for the server to send one into the net and the Friars to miscommunicate for the three-point advantage. The Cubs serve one that the Friars can’t contest and take control with a 14-10 lead that has Servite calling timeout. Turner shows off the strength in his serve when the Friars fail to return his second consecutive serve. They don’t stay down for long, though, when they find the opposite side for a hit that scores. They then beat the blockers for a hit and another point before Lynch marks his first kill of the game to end the short run. The Cubs demonstrate their resilience when they force a hitter into sending one out of bounds but give up an in-bounds kill right after. The Friars send a serve into the net and Mortimer blocks one before eventually getting the kill. A long rally goes the way of the Friars after the Cubs miscue a hit that lands outside. Mortimer gets his fourth kill off a an easy hit from floating service. The Cubs tip a ball that lands out of bounds and lose the point but still maintain a 20-15 lead in the set. Servite wins its second consecutive point by outmuscling the blockers but Campbell makes a smart tip that puts the Friars off balance for the point. The Cubs sideout on their serve but Turner slams one home off the chest off a Friar for the point. Campbell serves up an ace that lands right on the end line to help the Cubs take a controlling 23-17 lead in the set. The Friars need a timeout before the Cubs can take the commanding 2-0 set lead. Out of the timeout, Campbell gets another ace off another off-speed serve to the one spot. The Cubs finish the set with a big block from Turner to end the set.

Score 25-18

Set 3

The final set commences with the same six that began the quest for victory. The Cubs win the first point off a strong kill from the opposite side from Turner after a net from the Friars is missed. The Cubs send their serve out of bounds before Wedbush is able to mark a kill from the opposite side. Unfortunately, the Cubs give up the next two point after sending a serve out of bounds and a bump that cues up a Friar serve. The Cubs then get called for touching the net and trail 5-2. Turner ends the run with a strong kill before Wedbush gets one of his own on a smart no-look hit. The Friars give up another point off a hit from the outside but respond with an uncontested spike from the same side. They nearly get a second point on the bounce but touch the net before accomplishing it. The Cubs can’t control the pass and lose a point but Klein wins the next point off a kill from the outside. Klein misses the serve and the Cubs get called for touching the net before Servite floats their serve over the end line to bring the score to 8-9. The Cubs tie the game when Watson puts up strong hands two times on the bounce to take the lead. A hit from the back row finds its way onto the Cub side of the floor when the home team misreads the play. The Cubs have their hits dug twice before finally being too much for the Servite libero. After that, the Cubs give up a hit and the game is tied at 12. A strong hit from the outside finds the mark for the Friars and the Cubs lose the deadlock. Campbell kills one from the opposite side to tie the game before the Cubs send their next hit out of bounds. The Cubs get caught on the net and go down by two before the Friars send a serve straight into the net. The Cubs win a point after a Friar hit can’t get over the net but lose the next one on a miscue to the opposite side. The away side wins the next two points off blocks and hits that fly out of bounds. The Cubs trail 15-18 when Coach Boehle decides it's time for a timeout to regroup. The Cubs come out of the timeout well with Mortimer getting the kill uncontested after an error from the Friars. The Cubs lose the next two points though when they get blocked consecutively but break through when Servite has one too many hits to dig. The Friars then send a hit out of bounds before Turner is able to kill one from the opposite side to haul the Cubs within one. 19-21 is the score after the Cubs get called for touching the net on the crucial point. The Cubs are on the wrong end of a close call and trail 20-22. Turner shows that he’s coming to play when he marks yet another kill from the opposite side to make it a 21-22 game before a timeout is called. The Cubs attempt to take the game in three sets begins with Campbell killing one from the outside for the tying hit. The Friars confuse the middle blocker, allowing them mark a kill relatively freely before the Cubs send their own hit out. The Cubs then get confused on a soaring ball that looks like it can land on either side to end the set.

Score 23-25

Set 4

After giving away the third set, the Cubs begin what is hopefully the final set of play with the original six starters once more. The Cubs start the set with an opposite kill from Campbell before a wild rally that concludes with an outside kill from Turner. The Friars get their first point of the set when they beat a blocker from the outside, followed by the Cubs sending a hit out of bounds unprovoked. The Cubs then give up another point when they lose the battle in the middle before the sending a serve into the net. The Cubs then give up a point when they send a hit out of bounds and fail to dig a hit that comes from the middle. A block from the Cubs lands out of bounds but the Cubs are able to get the next points when they are bailed out by a serve and hit one from the middle to score. The Cubs find Klein on the outside for a hit before Mortimer comes up with a block to take a two-point lead in the set. Unfortunately, the outside blocker finds himself without help and gives up a hit. The Friars send a hit into the net and the next out of bounds, ensuring the Cub lead is 10-7. Mortimer is responsible for more points when he . The ball skips between two Cub blockers so that Servite finally ends the run that was all Loyola. Mortimer struts his stuff when his hands block a hit into the face of a Servite player and wins points. Turner follows the effort with his own block. This set is all Mortimer as an errant bump from the Friars tees him up perfectly for another kill, this one uncontested. The Cubs are unable to dig a hit that breaks through and lose a point but find Campbell for an outside kill that puts the Cubs in a commanding 15-9 lead. The Friars need a timeout after a lift puts them down 16-9 and at a major disadvantage. Out of the timeout, the Cubs have weak hands on the block and give up a point as a result. The Cubs work a beautiful play that sees Wedbush set Campbell for an excellent outside hit. The Friars do get a hit from the same side right after but Turner breaks through blockers for the point. The Cubs lose a point that hits the roof but get Lynch a hit from the middle that hits the floor. The Cubs fail to dig one that gets sent to them and miscue a hit but retain a 19-14 lead. Mortimer gets another hit to connect before blocking one and putting the home team up 21-14. The Cubs lose a point off a tipped ball but respond with Mortimer coming up with a momentous block before the Friars send their next out of bounds. The Cubs get their 24th point off a kill from Turner before sending their serve into the net. Turner finishes out the game with a hit from the outside to win.

Score 25-17