CHICAGO (April 17, 2021)
 
In Short
Second-seeded Loyola University Chicago (15-5) dropped the first two sets in the match but rallied from that deficit to post a 17-25, 12-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-9 victory over No. 3 seed McKendree (11-6) Saturday night in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament semifinals at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility. The win sends the Ramblers to the MIVA Tournament final for the sixth time in the last eight years the tournament has been played.
 
How It Happened
Twelfth-ranked McKendree came out on fire and executed its game plan to perfection in the first set, hitting .364 (10-2-22) to roll to a 25-17 victory. Two kills and a block by Zach Schnittker were part of a string of five unanswered Bearcats points that broke a 3-3 stalemate and gave the Bearcats the lead for good.
 
For as poorly as things went in the opener for the Ramblers, they were even worse in set two as McKendree hit .385 (12-2-26), while Loyola hit .000 (8-8-29) in a 25-12 setback that put the hosts in a precarious position down two sets to none. McKendree scored the first three points of the second set and stretched that lead to 12-3, never looking back on the way to the win.
 
Neither team led by more than four points in the third set and Loyola fought back to overcome a 9-5 deficit and stay alive with a thrilling 25-23 decision. The Ramblers' backs were against the wall, trailing 22-19, but a huge kill from Luke Denton sparked a 6-1 Loyola run to close out the set, with Denton and Jimmy Meinhart also teaming up on a pair of blocks during that decisive stretch as the match momentum swung to the home team side.
 
Loyola got off to a quick start in the fourth set as four different players tallied kills in a set-opening 5-1 spurt. McKendree clawed back into the match and tied things up at 18-18 on a Loyola attack error, but the Bearcats followed with an error of their own and Cole Schlothauer and Meinhart paired up for a block to put Loyola ahead to stay, at 20-18. Each time McKendree closed within a point, the Ramblers had an answer, and with their team in possession of a 21-20 lead, kills from Colton Brooks and Andrew Lyons were part of a string of three straight scores that extended Loyola's edge to 24-20.
 
Brooks' kill gave Loyola control from the opening serve in set five and the tenth-ranked Ramblers benefited from a fast start in a 15-9 victory. Two kills from Brooks were pivotal as the Ramblers opened the final set by tallying four of the first five points. McKendree cut the gap to 6-4, but Loyola went on to record three of the next four points to give itself some cushion with a 9-5 advantage.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• Schlothauer and Denton notched 13 kills apiece to lead Loyola, which also received 11 kills from Brooks.
• Schlothauer added 12 digs and Garrett Zolg also produced a double-double with 44 assists and 13 digs.
• Meinhart chipped in six kills and seven blocks, hitting .500 (6-1-10).
• Patrick Ross led McKendree with 12 kills.

 
Up Next
Loyola will play in the MIVA Championship title match next Saturday (April 24). The Ramblers will face the winner of the No. 1 seed Lewis versus No. 4 seed Ball State match.