CHICAGO – No. 12 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball won its fifth-straight match behind a four-set win (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-14) over cross-state rival, Quincy, Thursday night inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers were led by three in double digit kills: Parker Van Buren (18), Daniel Fabikovic (15) and Jake Read (14).

"Exactly how I thought it was going to go tonight," said Loyola head coach John Hawks after the win. "I knew there'd be some stress emotionally from us and we didn't block the ball like we did the match before (Princeton). We had some trouble locating the ball early and we didn't kill the ball quickly. Parker [Van Buren] started off slow. But again, I think that's what playing team sports is all about - how guys step up and take the load when other guys aren't necessarily having their night."

How it Happened
The Ramblers (13-8, 7-3 MIVA) used a 4-0 stretch to take a 10-5 lead in the first set. Following the run, Read slammed down a kill from Dan Mangun to make the score 11-6, Loyola, before Quincy (5-12, 1-9 MIVA) took off on a 4-0 run of its own, bringing itself within one point (11-10) of LUC. The Maroon and Gold shook it off and embarked on another 4-0 run with Read at the helm serving. Fabikovic posted back-to-back kills through the stretch. At 23-18, Loyola, the 'Blers reached set point after Van Buren's kill from Mangun. Fabikovic belted down the set-winner from Mangun at 25-18.

The Ramblers doubled down for another set win in the second frame. Loyola was in front, 14-9, after a Quincy attack error capped a 5-1 Rambler run. Fabikovic notched an ace, inflating LUC's advantage to 17-13 before Lukas Anderson did the same at 20-14. Loyola Chicago closed the set on a 5-1 run, including kills from Josh Gottlieb, Fabikovic and Read, to win the set, 25-17.  

The Hawks escaped a sweep by winning the third set, 25-19. The 'Blers were within three points (18-15) of Quincy after three-straight kills from Read, but it wasn't enough to complete the comeback. However, the Ramblers' short memory allowed them to win the fourth and final set, 25-14. A massive 8-1 Loyola run, capped by Read's ace, helped LUC to a 17-9 lead. Later, a 4-0 Loyola run, including two kills from Cole Schobel, gave the Maroon and Gold a 10-point lead at 23-13. Gottlieb brought Loyola to set point with his kill from Schobel before Schobel flipped the script for the match-winner from Evan Markworth.

Notes

• Loyola ended the night hitting .419 while limiting Quincy to a .266 clip.
• The 'Blers racked up 57 kills and seven aces in the win.
• Mangun posted a match-high 28 assists while Schobel followed with 16.
• Mangun led the way on defense with eight digs, a team-high.
• Schobel and Fabikovic ended with two aces.
• Fabikovic hit .591 with 15 kills on 22 swings.
• Read and Nicodemus Meyer has two block a piece.

Up Next
Loyola has a quick turnaround as it plays host to No. 20 McKendree this Saturday (March 16). First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT inside Gentile with the action streaming live on ESPN+.