CHICAGO (February 25, 2023)
 
In Short…
Cole Schlothauer recorded a match-high 20 kills and Colton Brooks secured a career-high 17 kills as 10th-ranked Loyola (13-2, 6-0 MIVA) claimed its sixth straight victory, defeating McKendree (6-7, 1-5 MIVA) in four sets Saturday evening inside Gentile Arena: 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 25-14. Dan Mangun equaled his career-high in assists (49) while Parker Van Buren registered a double-double effort with 14 kills and career-high 10 digs. The Ramblers improved to 8-0 in matches played inside Gentile Arena this season.
 
How it Happened
Despite hitting just .194 in the opening set, Loyola edged out McKendree for the early match lead after holding on when the Bearcats pulled within a point. A kill by Nicodemus Meyer put the Ramblers ahead by five at 21-16 before the Bearcats cut the deficit to 23-22. Van Buren's second kill ended the set at 25-23, with Schlothauer recording six kills in the first stanza.
 
Both teams hit over .400 in Set 2, which featured six ties, as Loyola was forced to play from behind after McKendree jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. The Ramblers were able to climb back and grabbed a three-point advantage at 18-15 following kills by Brooks and Van Buren. This time the Bearcats were able to close strong, taking a 20-18 lead and staying out in front for the 25-21 set victory. McKendree had four aces in the second set while Loyola fell prey to five service errors.
 
The Ramblers responded nicely in the final two sets, and only trailed for one serve the rest of the night which came when McKendree took the first point in the fourth stanza.
 
In the third, Loyola jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind an ace from Mangun and eventually moved ahead 12-8 on Brooks' 14th kill, which topped his previous career-high mark of 13. The Ramblers remained out in front the rest of the way in the third with five kills each from Brooks and Van Buren.
 
The fourth and final set was all Loyola after a pair of aces from Meyer lifted the Ramblers to a 10-3 advantage. The Ramblers tallied four total team blocks in the fourth, with Jimmy Meinhart in on back-to-back stops at the net to cap a 5-0 run for a comfortable 22-10 lead. Schlothauer added six more kills in the final stanza.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Loyola recorded half of its eight aces in first set including two from Van Buren
• The Ramblers hit .319 overall in team hitting percentage with McKendree hitting at a .225 clip
• Five Ramblers totaled five or more digs including Van Buren (10), Brooks (8), Mangun (7), Matt Oakley (6) and Schlothauer (5)
• Loyola recorded its lowest total blocks (6) while McKendree had the third-most (9) by a Loyola opponent

Up Next
Loyola returns to action next Saturday, March 4, when Purdue Fort Wayne visits Gentile Arena for a 7 p.m. CT MIVA matchup.