QUINCY, Ill. (February 10, 2023)
 
In Short…
No. 13 Loyola (8-2, 1-0 MIVA) recorded a 3-0 sweep over Quincy (4-5, 0-1 MIVA) in the conference opener for both squads Friday night, 25-18, 25-21 & 25-19. The Ramblers never trailed after the first set, led by Cole Schlothauer and Parker Van Buren each with eight kills. Loyola earned its 27th consecutive win in the all-time series with Quincy.
 
How it Happened
Loyola grabbed an 8-5 lead after a Jimmy Meinhart ace, and after a Quincy point, the Ramblers strung together five straight points to create separation. Meyer led the charged in the first set with four kills, including two during a stretch that put the Ramblers ahead by seven, 13-6. Quincy worked back within four at 19-15 but another Meyer kill stopped the momentum. Schlothauer closed the set with an ace as the Ramblers hit .444 in the opening stanza.
 
In the second set, an ace delivered by Van Buren sparked momentum for Loyola's early 6-3 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Colton Brooks and Van Buren extended the lead to four, but Quincy trimmed the deficit back down to two at 13-11 with two straight aces from Raje Alleyne. Loyola clung to a 15-14 lead until a block posted by Meyer and Van Buren, followed by a Mangun ace pushed the lead back to four at 18-14. The Ramblers had four aces in the second set, with Josh Gottlieb's ace keeping the momentum going until another ace from Schlothauer and kill by Brooks ended the frame.
 
Loyola stormed out to a 15-6 lead and eventually 20-10 in the third set, before being forced to fend off a late surge by the homestanding Hawks. Quincy pulled back to 22-17, forcing Loyola to call timeout but Schlothauer stopped the run with a kill out of the break, and teamed up with Meinhart for a match-clinching block on the final point.
 
Jack Yentz and Colton Brooks each tallied four kills, while Yentz tied his career high with two aces. Nicodemus Meyer equaled his career best in kills with six to go with one block solo and five block assists. Jimmy Meinhart also chipped in with three kills and an ace. Setter Dan Mangun handed out 26 assists with a pair of block assists, one kill and an ace. Libero Matt Oakley led the squad with six digs.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Loyola hit .359 overall on the night, paced by the opening set at .444 (11-3-18)
• The Ramblers limited Quincy to a .149 hitting percentage
• Loyola registered eight aces led by two each by Schlothauer and Yentz. The Ramblers have posted seven or more aces in seven of 10 matches
• Both teams gathered 15 total digs

Up Next
Loyola travels to Lindenwood for Saturday's MIVA match in St. Louis. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.