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CHICAGO (April 16, 2019) – Currently tied for its longest winning streak of the season, the Loyola Ramblers host Purdue Fort Wayne in the 2019 MIVA semifinals on Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. The Ramblers captured each of the previous two meetings with the Mastodons, both in four sets. This is the first time since 2014 the two programs have faced off three times in a season, and the eighth time overall. Should the Ramblers win on Wednesday, they would either host McKendree or travel to Lewis for the conference championship on April 20. 
 
Last Time Out: The Maroon and Gold knocked off Ohio State on Saturday (April 13) in four sets to advance to the MIVA semifinals. On a .408 hitting night from the team, Paul Narup notched a career high 13 kills while hitting .812 in the process. Loyola's middle blocker tandem of Narup and Kyle Piekarski combined to club .778 (22-1-27) in the victory. Collin Mahan also made his presence felt with his fifth double-double of the season (14 kills, 11 digs). His 14 kills led the Ramblers on the night. The win was Loyola's 20^th of the season, marking the third time in Mark Hulse's four-year tenure he's engineered a 20-win season. 2019 is also the 15^th time in the program's 23-year history the Maroon and Gold have secured at least 20 wins in a season.

A Look at the Mastodons: The No. 3-seed took care of business in their quarterfinal matchup by making quick work of Lindenwood on Saturday. The straight-sets triumph saw Tony Price tally 11 kills on .500 hitting. The 'Dons had two representatives earn First Team All-MIVA recognition, headlined by Pelegrin Vargas. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native leads the MIVA with 392 kills, and recently became the 19^th player in program history to compile 1,000-plus for a career. 2019 is the first time setter Michael Keegan took home first team honors. Entering Wednesday, the senior is third in the conference in assists per set (9.42) and has paced the 'Dons to a .269 team attack percentage.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola is seeking its 30^th all-time win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, entering with a 29-20 all-time head-to-head record. Should the Ramblers emerge victorious, it will extend their active winning streak over the 'Dons to 15, a stretch that began back in 2013. The last time the two programs met in the MIVA Tournament, Loyola tied a then-program record 26^th win of the season with a 3-0 victory in the 2014 MIVA semifinals. Three Ramblers tallied double-digit kills, led by Thomas Jaeschke's 13. The Maroon and Gold hold a 4-3 all-time edge over the Mastodons in postseason play, with all four of the wins coming in succession.
 
Up Next: A win on Wednesday would put Loyola in the MIVA championship for the second consecutive season and the fifth time in seven years. The result of the Lewis-McKendree match happening simultaneously on Wednesday dictates whether the Ramblers host the contest of will compete on the road.
 
#OnwardLU