LEBANON, Ill. (March 10, 2023)
 
In Short…
No. 9 Loyola (16-2, 8-0 MIVA) won its ninth straight match after pulling off a reverse sweep Friday night when it defeated McKendree (6-9, 1-7 MIVA) on the road in five sets, 20-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13. It's the Ramblers' longest win streak since closing the 2015 national championship season with 10 consecutive victories. Friday's victory also continued Loyola's best start in conference play since 2014.
 
Parker Van Buren registered a double-double with 21 kills and 10 digs, while Dan Mangun also logged a double-double with a career-high 58 assists and 13 digs. Cole Schlothauer put down 19 kills to surpass the 900-career mark, and Nicodemus Meyer recorded a career-best nine kills to help lead Loyola.
 
How it Happened
The tightly contested match, which marked the second meeting against the Bearcats in two weeks, featured an incredible 62 tie scores and 23 lead changes. The first four sets had double-digit tie scores including 20 in the second stanza, as the two teams went back and forth all night.
 
Loyola led 15-12 in Set 1, its largest lead all night until going up four in the fifth set, and the Ramblers remained out in front when Van Buren's ace gave the Ramblers a 17-15 edge.
 
However, the Bearcats closed the opening set on a strong note by outscoring the Ramblers 10-3 to grab the 25-20 victory and early lead in the match. Loyola hit -.071 in the first frame with nine attack errors.
 
In the second set, Loyola led 22-20 off an ace by Mangun and stayed in front when a Colton Brooks kill gave the Ramblers a 23-21 lead. However, the Bearcats clawed back to even the score at 23-23.
 
The teams exchanged five points as Schlothauer put the Ramblers ahead 26-25 on his team-high sixth kill of the set, but McKendree was able to pull out the final three points.
 
The Ramblers stayed alive with a victory in Set 3, as back-to-back kills from Van Buren and Meyer helped Loyola overcome a 20-19 deficit. The Ramblers closed the third frame on a 6-3 run, with three kills from Van Buren.
 
The fourth set finished in similar fashion as the third, including an identical final score, as Meyer recorded three of the Ramblers' final six points. Loyola led 19-17 after a solo block from Jimmy Meinhart, before Meyer came on strong down the final stretch. Meyer and Jack Yentz led the Ramblers with four kills each in the stanza.
 
In the deciding set, Loyola claimed its largest lead of the night when a kill by Schlothauer gave the Ramblers a 7-3 advantage.
 
The Ramblers went up 9-6, but the Bearcats made a final push and evened the score with three consecutive points before eventually taking the lead at 11-10.
 
Then, the Ramblers responded with three straight points on the other side of the net, with a kill from Schlothauer and back-to-back points from Van Buren as Loyola held on for the impressive comeback victory. Van Buren finished with seven total kills in the final set.
 
McKendree's Bryce Wetjen tallied a match-high 25 kills (.404), along with 15 from Kevin Schuele and 12 for Kyle Wilson, who also had 19 digs.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Both of Van Buren's double-doubles this season came against McKendree
• Van Buren tied his career-high of 10 digs (both vs. McKendree) and posted a career-high 53 total attacks
• Schlothauer has 916 career kills in 252 career sets played (3.63 kills per set)
• Mangun produced his fifth double-double of the season
• Yentz and Brooks each tallied six kills, while Meinhart added five kills and 3.5 blocks
• Loyola hit .396 overall in the match including a .500 clip in Set 3
• Both teams had 16 serving errors 
• Loyola improved to 3-1 in five-set matches

Up Next
Loyola will host 15th-ranked Charleston (WV) on Thursday, March 16. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Gentile Arena. The Golden Eagles, who compete in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, are 16-1 on the season following Friday night's five-set win over Mount Olive.