MUNCIE, Ind. (March 26, 2021)
 
In Short
Luke Denton and Cole Schlothauer recorded 11 kills apiece to spark Loyola University Chicago (12-3, 8-3 MIVA) to a 25-20, 25-23, 25-20 victory over Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association rival, Ball State (10-5, 7-4 MIVA) tonight at Worthen Arena. With the victory, the Ramblers extended their winning streak to four matches.
 
How It Happened
Ball State led 12-10 when Jimmy Meinhart ripped a kill to begin a string of six unanswered points, capped by a kill from Schlothauer, to put Loyola ahead, 16-12 in the opener. The Cardinals fought back with four straight tallies however, to tie things up at 16-16. A handful of points later, with the score deadlocked at 19-19, the Ramblers got a kill from Garrett Zolg, followed by a service ace from the redshirt junior setter, to open a set-closing 6-1 run that gave Loyola a 25-20 victory.
 
Although the Ramblers led by as many as four points (6-2) in the second set, the Cardinals rallied to knot the score at 17-17, and after Loyola regained the lead, BSU drew even again, this time at 22-22. Back-to-back Schlothauer kills moved the Ramblers back ahead, 24-22, and following a Kaleb Jenness kill that cut the lead in half, Denton blasted a kill to complete a 25-23 decision. Denton and Schlothauer combined for 10 of Loyola's 12 kills in the set and helped the Maroon and Gold hit .348 (12-4-23).
 
In set three, Loyola led nearly wire-to-wire, scoring three unanswered points early to break a 1-1 stalemate and claim a 4-1 lead it would never surrender as it capped the sweep with a 25-20 win. When Ball State got within 13-12, Schlothauer stepped up and smoked back-to-back kills to ignite a 6-2 spurt that allowed the Ramblers to regain control and a 19-14 edge.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• As a team, Loyola hit .385 (36-11-65) on the evening and in addition to his 11 kills, Denton provided five digs and five blocks.
• Jenness clubbed 13 kills to pace Ball State.
• Loyola dealt the Cardinals their second loss at home this season.

 
Up Next
Loyola and Ball State conclude the two-match series tomorrow night. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.