CHICAGO – The No. 11 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team swept Kentucky State (25-14, 25-13, 25-10) inside Gentile Arena Friday night. The Ramblers limited the Thorobreds to 11 kills while Loyola Chicago racked up 31 and hit .472, a season best.

"I want to thank Kentucky State for coming up here to play us," said Loyola head coach John Hawks. "We got a lot of new guys in the match today which was great. We have depth, and you don't have depth unless you use it. Tonight, those guys got an opportunity to go out there and play, and it's great when those guys can do that. They deserve it more than anybody knows. It's not a thing where we're just doing them a favor. They deserve those minutes, I'm happy that we could do it, and I'm happy for all of them that they got a chance to go out there and perform in front of everybody. I think that it's a great team sport and, I love coaching these guys."

How it Happened
The Ramblers built a 9-3 lead in the opening set after a 5-0 run, which included two service aces via Miller Trubey. Before the Thorobreds could break double digits, Loyola took off on a 6-0 run with Bryce Robbins at the helm serving. A bad KSU set capped the sprint, making the score 18-8, LUC. The 'Blers reached set point thanks to Nicodemus Meyer's kill while Robbin's laid down the set-winner from Ryan McElligott.

Kentucky State had Loyola within three points at 8-5, Loyola, but the Ramblers stretched their lead to eight points (14-6) after a 6-0 run with Meyer at the helm. Later, Robbins posted an ace to help LUC to a 19-8 lead before error on the serve from the Thorobreds gave the Ramblers set point, 24-13. Another KSU service error gave Loyola the set two win.

In the third and final set, Loyola Chicago claimed the first eight points with McElligott serving. Josh Gottlieb drew an ace at 14-3 to give the 'Blers an irrevocable lead. Ben Montplaisir notched an ace during Loyola's 4-0 run to make the score 19-5 before Evan Markworth helped Loyola to set point after his kill from Dan Mangun. A KSU error ended the set and frame in Loyola's favor.

Notes

• Loyola hit .472, a season best, and racked up 31 kills.
• The squad's serve proved effective as LUC owned 11 aces while KSU had none.
• Loyola won the dig battle, 17-14.
• Brad Bell led Loyola with a match-high and career-high seven kills on just eight swings, hitting .875. He added a career-high eight blocks.
• McElligott posted match-highs with 27 assists and three aces.

Up Next
Loyola returns to the floor tomorrow (Jan. 20) as it takes on Merrimack inside Gentile Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT with the match streaming live on ESPN+.