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CHICAGO (April 12, 2019) – The Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team finished the regular season with a 12-2 conference record (19-7 overall) that earned them the No. 2 seed in the 2019 MIVA Tournament. In the single-elimination format that requires three wins to claim the tournament championship, the Ramblers will begin their quest to become best in the MIVA with a 7:00 p.m. tilt with Ohio State on Saturday (April 13) at Gentile Arena.  
 
Last Time Out: The Ramblers finished the season with two wins to extend their active winning streak to six. In the regular season finale, Collin Mahan rang up eight service aces to tie the program record for most in a match. The performance increased Mahan's season total to 41 to make him the first Rambler to reach the 40-ace benchmark since 2015. The team got a strong defensive effort from Avery Aylsworth, who tallied 22 digs over the seven sets for an average of 3.14 digs per set. The Second Team All-MIVA selection garnered MIVA Defensive Player of the Week to push Loyola's weekly conference award total to six.

A Look at the Buckeyes: Ohio State closed the St. John Arena era with two five-set victories over Purdue Fort Wayne and Ball State. Leading the charge was First Team All-MIVA selection Jake Hanes, who registered 49 kills (4.90 per set) over the weekend to snag the conference's Offensive Player of the Week award. Hanes was joined by middle blocker Blake Leeson on the conference's first team, while middle blocker Ethan Talley represented the Buckeyes on the All-Freshman team. Leeson is in the process of climbing the Buckeye record book, entering Saturday seventh in program history for blocks (393) and solo blocks (62) while he's 11^th in career service aces with 78. Ohio State has not lost in the MIVA Tournament's opening round since 2014.
 
Series Stuff: This is the second straight year that Loyola and Ohio State will face off three times in the same season. A victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday would mark just the third time the Maroon and Gold have knocked off the Buckeyes three times in a season (2006 and 2015 the others). 2019 is the 12^th time the two Midwest-based programs have squared off in postseason play. The Buckeyes hold a 7-4 all-time advantage over the Ramblers in playoff matches, but Loyola has captured two of the last three MIVA Tournament contests. 1997 was the last time Loyola and Ohio State competed in the conference's quarterfinal round.
 
Up Next: The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the MIVA semifinals on Wednesday, April 17 and take on the winner of the No. 3-seed Purdue Fort Wayne vs. No. 6-seed Lindenwood matchup. The Ramblers have advanced to the semifinals in two of Mark Hulse's first three seasons at the helm of the program.
 
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