ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The No. 10 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team posted a straight set win over cross-state and MIVA rival, No. 13 Lewis, Wednesday night on the road. Parker Van Buren's notched a match-high 14 digs while Jake Read added 10, boosting Loyola to its third-straight top-20 win.

"The night began with recognizing and honoring the RaeStrong Foundation, and it was an honor to be a part of that," said Loyola head coach John Hawks after the win. "Getting any road win in our conference is great. However, I feel like we just didn't get into any rhythm from the service line which made things much more difficult than they needed to be."

How it Happened
The Ramblers began the sweep after building a 10-7 lead in the first set. A 5-1 run, which included kills from Van Buren and Nicodemus Meyer gave Loyola the advantage. Lewis responded with a 5-1 run of their own and took a 12-11 edge midway through the set, but LUC fought back. A Flyer error plus Jimmy Meinhart's kill locked the set, 13-13, before a 5-1 Rambler run put Loyola up by two points at 18-16. At the end of the frame, Loyola Chicago had set point, 24-21, before two Lewis points made things interesting. But Meinhart slammed down the set-winner from Ryan McElligott to win the first frame.

In another tight contested second set, Lewis and Loyola found themselves tied up at 15-15 with each team hitting north of .300. The two squads continued to go back-and-forth with five more ties through the remainder of the set, including up to 23-23. LUC buckled down as a Lewis error plus Read's kill from McElligott ended the set, giving the 'Blers a 2-0 lead.

Hitting its high hitting percentage of the night (.560), Loyola exploded for a massive third set win to end the night. The Maroon and Gold jumped out to a 9-6 lead after two kills from McElligott and Read. Lewis came within one point of LUC at 12-11, but the Ramblers' defense held tight. LUC stretched its lead to 17-12 with Meyer's kill from McElligott. To end the affair, LUC claimed five of the six final points to win the set and match at 25-19.

Notes

• The Ramblers produced nine blocks at the net while Lewis had three.
• LUC posted 41 kills while the Flyers had 35.
• The Ramblers hit .418 though the evening while limiting Lewis to .219.
• Van Buren led the way with 14 kills on 24 swings (500).
• McElligott's 32 assists were a match-high  

Up Next
Loyola is next in action this Saturday (Feb. 17) as the team takes on No. 14 Ball State at home. The Ramblers aim to avenge their loss earlier in the season (Feb. 1) to the Cardinals. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

*The RaeStrong Foundation, inspired by the premature birth of Dan and Lorelee's daughter Rae, provides grants to support families of micro preemies and organizations aiding their needs, stemming from fundraising efforts within Lewis University's volleyball teams and expanding nationwide. *