COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 13 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team won its third-straight behind a five-set triumph (25-22, 20-25, 30-28, 15-25, 15-12) over No. 7 Ohio State Saturday on the road. Parker Van Buren tallied a team-high 19 kills while Daniel Fabikovic added 15 as the Ramblers earned their second win over the Buckeyes this season.

"I thought it was a well-played volleyball match by both sides offensively," said Loyola head coach John Hawks. "I felt like we blocked the ball really well which was good. They had 10 aces, so we needed to overcome that. We want to hang our hats on being a gritty team, and I felt like we were just gritty tonight - we were tough and came up big in big moments. I'm just super proud that that's starting to become our identity."

How it Happened
The Ramblers started things off on a 4-1 run behind two kills from Van Buren, Fabikovic's ace, and an OSU error. Loyola Chicago built a 10-8 lead after the Buckeyes committed a service error, but a 5-1 run by the home team gave OSU a 13-11 edge midway through the first set. Loyola halted the run as kills from Jack Yentz, Nicodemus Meyer, and Fabikovic knotted the contest, 15-15. A 6-1 LUC run helped the 'Blers take control, 21-18, while Van Buren laid down the final two points (an ace and a kill) to give Loyola a 1-0 lead in the match. The Ramblers ended the opening frame hitting .379 while gathering 15 kills.

Ohio State hit .500 in the second set and racked up 19 kills to level the match at 1-1. The 'Blers had OSU within three points at 19-16 after Meyer's solo block, but Ohio State used a 4-1 run to take a 23-17 lead. Kyle Teune owned the set-winner at 25-20 with his third kill of the frame.

Ohio State opened the third set in front, 5-2, but Loyola Chicago posted four-straight points to take the lead early. Back-and-forth through the set, the two programs found themselves knotted, 17-17. Later, a 5-1 Loyola run gave LUC set point at 24-22, but the Buckeyes extended the set with two-straight points. Ohio State nearly pulled out the win, up 28-27, after back-to-back kills from Teune. But the Maroon and Gold benefited from three-straight OSU errors to win the set.

Up 2-1 in the match, Ohio State rebounded in the fourth set after hitting .714. Ohio State won the frame by 10 points with a 25-15 statement.

Just like the Ramblers' previous match this season with Ohio State (Feb. 9), five sets were needed to determine a winner. Loyola started off on the right foot with a 3-0 lead. Van Buren laid down a kill from Dan Mangun to give LUC a 7-4 edge. Later though, Ohio State scored three-straight to level the set at 9-9. Loyola responded by scoring three-straight of its own before Fabikovic gave the ramblers set point at 14-12 after a kill. The freshman doubled down for another kill as Loyola won the set and match at 15-12.

Notes

• Loyola ended the match hitting .339 while limiting OSU to .366.
• The Maroon and Gold posted 54 kills in the win.
• LUC's 14 blocks marked its second most of the season thus far.
  • Meyer's six blocks were a match-high. He had five block assists and two solos.
• Van Buren led the way with 19 kills on 37 swings. He ended the night hitting .405.
• Fabikovic was close behind with 15 on 31 swings.
• Mangun nearly had a double-double with nine digs and 46 assists.

Up Next
Loyola has a well-deserved break before action ramps back up Monday, March 11, as the 'Blers break from MIVA action and host Princeton. First serve is set for 4 p.m. CT inside Gentile Arena with the match streaming live on ESPN+.