In Short…
The No. 2-seed Ramblers eliminated Ohio State and moved on to the MIVA semifinals with a four-set victory. Collin Mahan posted his fifth double-double of the season (14 kills, 11 digs) while Paul Narup notched a career high 13 kills while hitting .812 in the process.
 
Coach Hulse's Thoughts
"It was a really tough match. Ohio State brought a lot, and we had to respond to a few different things," head coach Mark Hulse said. "I'm really proud of the guys and it's a really positive first step to where we want to go."
 
How It Happpened
Loyola raced out to a 7-3 advantage on the heels of a Paul Narup service ace. OSU narrowed the Ramblers' lead to 11-7, but Loyola responded with a 3-0 run that featured a Garrett Zolg ace and a Collin Mahan kill. Loyola called timeout after back-to-back Jake Hanes aces, and the break in the action paid off. A 5-0 Rambler run put the home team back in charge, a stretch that had kills from Will Tischler and Mahan, as well as an ace from Dane Leclair that propelled them to a 22-12 lead. Moments later, Tischler's kill inked the opening set win at 25-15.
 
A 9-3 Buckeye run out of the gates stung Loyola and had them playing catch up the rest of the second frame. Mahan posted a kill to stop the bleeding, but three more OSU points kept them in control at 16-11. Loyola responded with a 4-0 run that trimmed the visitor's lead to 16-15, but it was all Ohio State from then on out. Eight of the next 10 points went Ohio State's way and gave them a 24-17 lead. The Ramblers held off three OSU set points, highlighted by a Kyler Kotsakis ace, but it Ohio State captured the stanza 25-20 and tied the match up.
 
Kyle Piekarski's opening ace in set three set the tone the rest of the way for the Ramblers. The early point explosion began with four consecutive tallies that ran the lead to 7-2. Ohio State took a timeout, but the Ramblers kept their foot on the gas pedal with a 7-1 run that gave them a 10-point lead. A triple-team block with Piekarski, Zolg and Mahan established the 15-5 lead and sent the crowd at Gentile Arena into a frenzy. The teams traded points the rest of the way, with Mahan's 10^th kill of the night completing the 25-14 set three win.
 
The teams engaged in an evenly matched fourth set that had 21 ties, including 10 within each squad's first 10 points. Neither team could gain any separation, as a Mahan kill late in the frame broke a stretch of 16 consecutive pattern points. The Buckeyes tied it up again at 21-21, but the Ramblers went for the throat and grabbed the first two-point lead of the set with a Narup kill and a triple-block that included Leclair, Tischler and Narup. Mahan's service ace one point later extended the lead to 24-21 and put the Buckeyes on the brink of elimination. OSU held off one set point, but Mahan posted his 14^th kill of the evening moments later and secured the 25-22 set four win, punching his team's ticket to the MIVA semifinals.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-The victory gave the Ramblers 20 wins on the season, marking the 15^th time in the program's 23-year history the Maroon and Gold have reached the 20-win benchmark.
-The Ramblers' .408 team attack percentage is their highest in a four-set match this season. The team clubbed .652 in the opening frame, marking the sixth time this season the team has eclipsed .600 in a set this season.
-Dane Leclair tied his career high in digs for the second time this season with 11. The opposite hitter went over the century mark for digs this season in the process.
-Loyola beat Ohio State thrice in a season for just the third time in program history, and the first since 2015.
 
Up Next
The Ramblers move on to the MIVA semifinals and will host the No. 3-seed Purdue Fort Wayne. First serve occurs at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.