GAME INFORMATION
Location: Gentile Arena - Chicago, Ill.
Final Score: No. 12 Loyola 3, IPFW 2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-17, 26-24, 15-12)
Records: Loyola (18-7, 11-4 MIVA); IPFW (18-7, 11-4 MIVA)
Stats: Box Score | Season Stats

In Short…
Loyola came back from a 1-2 deficit to defeat IPFW on Friday night, using a perfect 1.000 hitting clip in the deciding frame to seal the victory. With the win, Loyola improves to 18-7 on the season and 11-4 in MIVA play, while IPFW drops to 10-17 (3-12 MIVA).

How it Happened
The two teams traded points to open set one until IPFW scored six of the next seven to take a 10-6 lead. The Mastodons then used a five-point run to up the lead to 17-10, but the Ramblers rallied to score five of the next six, including three kills and a block assist from Will Tischler, to cut the lead to 18-15. However, IPFW never allowed Loyola to get any closer, holding on to win the set, 25-21. Although the Ramblers recorded four more kills and outhit the Mastodons .276 to .167, IPFW had the serving advantage with three more aces and four fewer service errors. Tischler led the Ramblers with eight of the team's 13 total kills in the first set.

After trading points to begin set two, Loyola was the first team to score more than two consecutive points, scoring three straight to take a 13-11 lead. The Mastodons managed to cut the deficit to one point, but the Ramblers rallied to score seven of the next nine, including kills from Tischler and Ben Plaisted, a Collin Mahan service ace and a Tischler/Jeff Jendryk block, to up the lead to 21-15. After a Nicholas Olson kill gave Loyola set point, IPFW battled back to cut the deficit to one, but a Plaisted kill ended the frame, 25-23.

The two teams battled back-and-forth to open set three until a five-point IPFW run gave the Mastodons a 12-6 lead. IPFW continued to rally, upping the score to 16-8 before Loyola scored four unanswered points, including kills from Plaisted and Tischler and a Jendryk/Tischler block, to cut the IPFW lead to four. The Mastodons didn't allow the Ramblers to pull any closer, capping the set with a three-point run to win it, 25-17. Loyola led a balanced attack in set three, with four Ramblers recording at least three kills, but IPFW had the advantage in hitting percentage, .355 to .278.

In a fourth set that saw 12 tie scores and three lead changes, IPFW was the first team to score more than two straight points with a late three-point run, giving the Mastodons a 23-21 lead. Loyola responded with a three-point run of its own, capped by back-to-back double stuffs from Nicholas Olson and Ben Plaisted, to take the 24-23 lead, and the Ramblers held to win the set, 26-24, and force a fifth frame.

Loyola was the first team to lead by more than one point, as a Ben Plaisted kill and an IPFW error gave the Ramblers a 7-5 lead. Another three-point Rambler run, including back-to-back kills from Plaisted and Jeff Jendryk, upped the lead to 13-8, and Loyola held on to win it, 15-12.

Inside the Numbers
- Will Tischler led the Ramblers with a career-high 20 kills on a .361 clip.
- Three additional Ramblers recorded double-digit kills, as Ben Plaisted added 14, while Nicholas Olson and Jeff Jendryk totaled 12 and 10, respectively.
- Peter Hutz posted his third double-double of the season, tallying 51 assists to go along with 10 digs.
- Loyola hit a perfect 1.000 in the fifth set, as Plaisted and Jendryk combined for seven of the team's eight kills.

Postseason Update
With a victory tomorrow night over Ball State, Loyola would finish tied for second with the Cardinals in the final MIVA standings. Since the two teams would split the regular season series, a point differential tie-breaker would be used to determine the No. 2 seed in the MIVA tournament.

Up Next
Loyola hosts No. 8 Ball State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the final contest of the regular season. The 2016 senior class will be recognized prior to first serve.