COLUMBUS, Ohio (Feb. 17, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team's trip to Columbus, Ohio, was a beneficial trip as they continued on with MIVA play. They faced off against the No. 14 Ohio State University Buckeyes in hopes of having a perfect start to conference play. 
 
After this five-set thriller between the Ramblers and the Buckeyes, Loyola came out on top, defeating Ohio State 3-2.  
 
FROM COACH HULSE
"This was a huge win for our group," said Head Coach Mark Hulse. "We come together on the road. They responded really well even when we weren't at our best and had a ton of grit to pull out a big win in the fifth set."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The entire match between these two teams was a close battle. It started in favor of the Buckeyes as they took the first set 25-22. This set took a ton of turns as both teams exchanged the lead multiple times along the way. Although the Ramblers had the lead, they let it up to result in the loss. 
 
But that didn't hold back the Ramblers. They came out even stronger in the second set, grabbing the lead early and never letting up. Although the Buckeyes threatened that lead by taking the game to extra points, it didn't stop Loyola from coming out on top with a 28-26 win. 
 
Once they came back on the court after the five-minute break, the two teams duked it out yet again. The Ramblers started with the lead off a service run from Garrett Zolg, but the Buckeyes were not keeping them from a win. They ended up taking the lead and winning the third set 25-23 to grab a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth. 
 
Again, Loyola was having none of that. They came back even stronger in the fourth set, fighting against this nationally-ranked Ohio State team. This match also went into extra points, resulting in the 26-24 win for the Maroon and Gold as they took this to a fifth. 
 
Once they entered the final set, the Ramblers were ready to bring the win back to Chicago. They fought tooth and nail against with the Buckeyes. Even these teams tied the score up 11 times, Loyola proved to be the better team. They came out of the fifth set victorious, earning a 16-14 win.
 
LOOKING AT THE STATS

• Redshirt freshman Parker Van Buren cannot be stopped. The reigning AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week led all players on the court with 27 kills and only five errors, registering an impressive .431 hitting percentage. 
• Zolg, as always, led the offensive efforts for the Ramblers as their setter, recording 44 assists on the night. He also contributed two blocks, two aces and seven digs.
• When it came to front row defense, sophomore Jimmy Meinhart was the biggest asset. He ended the night with five blocks, the most on the court tonight. 
• Leading the defense in the back row was senior outside hitter Henry Payne. He had 10 digs, which is his new career-high. 
• On serve receive, redshirt sophomore Jack Yentz had a perfect night. He had no errors on 30 attempts, passing 100 percent on serve receive. 
• Looking at the scores, there was a total of 43 ties in these five sets along with 16 lead changes. 

 
UP NEXT
The Ramblers will make the trip down to Muncie, Indiana, to face the No. 7 Ball State University Cardinals. Live stats will be available for this game, but there will be no live stream.