Aug. 31, 2002

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Stevie Nicholas had match highs of 23 kills and 11 digs, and Baylor hit .308 as a team, but it was not enough as the Bears dropped a 25-30, 30-22, 26-30, 24-30 decision to Loyola-Chicago here Saturday at the Mizuno Invitational hosted by Long Beach State.

The loss marks just the third time in head coach Brian Hosfeld's tenure at Baylor that the Bears have hit .300 in a match and lost. Loyola hit .298 as a team, blistering the Bears at a .463 (24-5-41) clip in the fourth game.

Loyola hit .368 as a team in the first game, overcoming Baylor's .333 opening-game attacking percentage. The Bears rebounded in game two, holding the Ramblers to a .103 percentage and closing the game on a 7-1 run.

With Baylor leading 14-12 in game three, Loyola went on a 5-0 run and never looked back en route to the 30-26 victory. The Ramblers opened game four on a 6-1 run, and the Bears could never recover.

Tisha Schwartz added 15 kills and hit .333 with three blocks for Baylor. Lisa Smith had 10 kills and seven digs. Jillian Mazzarella and Emily Huston both found their way into double-figures in digs with 10 each. Huston finished the match with 50 assists.

Baylor returns to action tonight, facing No. 5 Long Beach State at 9:30 CDT in the final match of the Mizuno Invitational.