In Short…
Loyola ended the regular season on a high note with a 3-0 sweep of Quincy to improve to 19-7 (12-2, MIVA). On a night dedicated to the Senior Class, it was senior Collin Mahan that stood out with a program record-tying eight service aces.

Coach Hulse's Thoughts:
"It's not lost on me - I've been here for a while, but my first year as the head coach was these senior's first year a part of the program," head coach Mark Hulse said. "As much as they've grown as individuals, how they've grown as a group, what they've left behind will last for a while."
 
How It Happened
The Ramblers got off to an efficient start at a .640 clip in the match's opening set. 16 kills (no errors) accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Ramblers' points, four of which came from Kyle Piekarski. The middle blocker rung up two of them in consecutive occurrences, then a Will Tischler kill right after put Loyola up 9-4. The lead was extended to 15-7, and later 18-9 after the first of eight Collin Mahan service aces on Saturday night. The large cushion allowed Loyola to trade points the rest of the way to a 25-15 set one win.
 
Mahan dominated the visitors with three consecutive service aces right out of the gates in the second set to go up 6-1. Quincy fought back and narrowed the deficit to 12-11, but Quincy fell victim to Mahan again next rotation at the service line. The senior co-captain rang up two more aces in succession that anchored a 4-0 run that widened the Loyola lead to 16-11. The Hawks once again fought back to trim the home team's lead to 20-18, but the Ramblers halted the momentum with a 6-0 run to seal the deal. Markus Melbardis picked up two kills in that stretch, including the 25^th point to finish the 25-18 middle set win.
 
The two MIVA opponents jousted to a 10-10 start to the third set. After a Dane Leclair kill put LUC ahead 11-10 and got his team back to the service line, Mahan aced Quincy again for his eighth of the night to tie the program record. Despite the feat, Quincy went on a 3-0 run to take the lead at 15-14 and force a Rambler timeout. It was a timeout well spent because Loyola answered with a 4-0 run that had two kills and an ace from Devin Joslyn and put the Maroon and Gold back up 18-15. Quincy got back to within one once more at 19-18, but two more Joslyn kills sparked a 5-1 run that for all intents and purposes extinguished any comeback hopes. Loyola took the third set, 25-20 and earned its third sweep in a span of four matches.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-Collin Mahan's five service aces in the second set are the most by an LUC individual in a frame this season.
-The eight on Saturday ran Mahan's career total to 111, which now ranks fourth all-time among Ramblers in a career.
-Mahan (41 service aces this year) is the first Rambler to record 40-plus aces in a match since Thomas Jaeschke had 55 back in 2015.
-Loyola finished the regular season 11-0 in three-set matches.
 
Up Next
Loyola will enter the 2019 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will play the No. 7-seed Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, April 13 at Gentile Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.