CHICAGO – No. 13 Loyola Chicago men's volleyball battled through five sets (18-25, 25-20, 27-29, 25-14, 15-5) to claim a thrilling win over No. 6 Ohio State Friday night inside a ruckus Gentile Arena. Parker Van Buren's match-high 17 kills, plus Ryan McElligott's 29 assists and career-high four aces, paved the way for the Ramblers. With its triumph over the Buckeyes, LUC has won six of its last seven matches.

"Proud of our guys - what a heck of a win," said Loyola head coach John Hawks after the match. "First of all, the crowd tonight was awesome. They were loud, energetic, got our guys going, and maybe affected some of what (Ohio State) was doing. Awesome energy and just a fantastic, gritty win by our guys."

How it Happened
The Ramblers (7-6, 2-1 MIVA) weathered OSU's (8-3, 2-1 MIVA) .433 hitting percentage and 16 kills in the opening set, bouncing-back for a 25-20 win in set two. Loyola opened the second frame on a 5-3 run before building an 8-4 edge after two Ohio State errors and Cole Schobel's kill from Jimmy Meinhart.

Loyola built a 17-11 lead after two more OSU errors, but a 6-3 Ohio State run made things interesting as the visitors cut the deficit down to three points. Parker Van Buren ended the run with a massive kill from Schobel, giving LUC a 21-17 lead late in the set. The Ramblers achieved set point (24-20) after Jacob Pasteur's error on the serve. Van Buren drew an ace to end the set.

The Buckeyes, hitting their match-high .469 in the third set, took a 4-0 lead after two kills and a pair of Rambler errors. Despite trailing for most of the set, Loyola Chicago refused to back down. LUC earned its first lead of the frame after an 9-4 stretch gave it a 20-19 edge. The two teams battled to a 25-25 deadlock, and even reached 27-27, but Pasteur's kill, and a lucky ace, eventually gave the Buckeyes set three.

In need of a win to extend the match, Loyola came out of the fourth set's gates swinging and went on an 11-4 run to start things off. OSU made it a four-point affair (12-8, Loyola) after a quick 3-0 run but the 'Blers buckled down and delivered a 9-3 run to widen the gap to 21-11. Meinhart and Van Buren's back-to-back kills, plus Van Buren's ace, capped the sprint. Loyola ended the frame with four-straight points to take the set, 25-14, and force a fifth.

Rambler Nation's energy inside Gentile Arena powered the squad to an 11-3 lead before Ohio State could blink. Jack Yentz gave Loyola set point after his kill from Daniel Fabikovic. An OSU error ended the match in the Maroon and Gold's favor. The Buckeyes hit -0.182 through the nightcap while Loyola hit an unstoppable .778.

Notes

• 1,402 fans packed inside Gentile to witness the exciting match.
• Loyola's serve produced eight aces while OSU garnered five.
• The Ramblers targeted 38 digs – their second-most of the season.
• Fabikovic totaled 11 kills and a career-high three assists.
• Meinhart put down a match-high five blocks while Van Buren and Nicodemus Meyer totaled three. Jake Read broke his career-high with three blocks.
• McElligott racked up 29 assists and a career-high four aces.
• Matt Oakley led the way on defense with nine digs.   

Up Next
Loyola Chicago continues 2024 action this Wednesday (Feb. 14) as it travels to Lewis. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT inside Neil Carey Arena.