CHICAGO (April 20, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team won its first game of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's Tournament which let the team host one of the semifinal games against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
This first set was nothing short of exciting as these two teams hungry for victory. The match was close the whole time with the Mastodons being the only team to grab any significant lead. But the Ramblers battled back throughout the set, taking this first set into extra points. From there, the two teams exchanged points six times before Purdue Fort Wayne ultimately came out as the winner, taking the first set 32-30. 
 
From there, the Ramblers came out swinging, taking the lead early in the second set. Even with the lead, Purdue Fort Wayne did not let Loyola pull too far ahead. The Mastodons stayed within arms' length, pulling ahead when it mattered late in the set. This resulted in the 25-23 loss for Loyola in this second set. 
 
Down two sets and the season on the line, Loyola was ready to battle back. They took the lead early in this third set, but it was again not enough to keep the Mastodons at bay. Purdue Fort Wayne kept pushing Loyola to the point where they could only get a two-point lead. This gave the Mastodons a chance to come back in this third set as Purdue Fort Wayne won in extra points with a score of 27-25.  
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Cole Schlothauer had the best offensive performance for the Ramblers tonight. He was tied for the most kills on the floor with 17, but hit an impressive .424 at the pin with only three errors on 33 swings. Parker Van Buren also ended the night with 17 kills, only making two errors on 41 swings for a .366 hitting percentage. 
• Garrett Zolg finished his historic career in Gentile, registering enough digs to pass former player and coach Shane Davis as well as one other player to finish in second with 732 career digs. These 11 digs he had tonight paired well with his 46 assists to give him his seventh double-double of the season. 
• Both Jimmy Meinhart and Andrew Lyons were outstanding in the middle as they hit .545 and .400, respectively. Meinhart had six kills on 11 swings while Lyons had five kills on 10 swings. 

IN CONCLUSION
This match concludes the 2022 season for the Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team. The Ramblers finished the season with an 18-9 overall record, going 11-3 in the MIVA.