CHICAGO – The No. 2 seeded Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team advanced to the MIVA Tournament Semifinals after winning the quarterfinal round against No. 7 McKendree in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-16) Saturday night inside Gentile Arena. MIVA Player of the Year, Parker Van Buren, led with 18 kills on 24 swings for a staggering .708 hitting percentage. 
 
The Ramblers have now reached the MIVA Tournament's semis eight times in the past 11 seasons (no tournament was held in 2020).

"I'm pumped. I'm really happy we came out of the gates with a lot of intention about how we want to to defend," said Loyola head coach John Hawks after the win. "McKendree is a real, real solid team. And you know, we've been talking about these guys (McKendree) for the last few weeks and just the how the guys are zeroed in. The guys were just really professional with how they approached the game, playing this team, how we warmed up, and just everything was was great. It's just nice to get past this, and now, we're going to Muncie!"
 
How it Happened
Loyola Chicago (19-9, 12-4 MIVA) took its first lead of the day, 3-2, after Van Buren's kill from Dan Mangun and a combo block via Nicodemus Meyer and Daniel Fabikovic early in the match. The Ramblers later won the race to 15 points after their 5-1 run made the score 15-10, LUC. The 'Blers continued the run through the media timeout, stretching their advantage to 17-10 after a McKendree service error. Later, Mangun and Jimmy Meinhart teamed up for a massive block at the net, giving Loyola a 20-12 lead and forcing the Bearcats to burn a timeout. Meyer lifted Loyola to set point after his kill from Mangun while a Bearcats' service error ended the frame, 25-18.
 
McKendree (14-12, 8-8 MIVA) started the second set hot, taking a 4-2 lead over the Ramblers. But the Maroon and Gold leveled the affair, 5-5, after Van Buren's kill capped a 3-1 Loyola stretch. After Meyer knotted the score 12-12 with a kill, Loyola Chicago again eclipsed 15 points first thanks to McKendree's service error. Up 15-14 after the media break, LUC extended its lead to 21-18 after a 6-4 run. The 'Blers were responsible for the final six points – including Meyer and Fabikovic's block to end the set – as Loyola won, 25-18.
 
With Loyola hitting .398, the Ramblers went for the knockout blow in the third and final set. LUC exploded out of the break on an 11-4 run while Meyer's solo block putting an exclamation mark on the stretch. In total control, Loyola Chicago ballooned its advantage to 10 points (18-8) thanks to another 5-0 run which was sparked by McKendree's service error and Van Buren's kill. The Bearcats brought their deficit back down to single digits with a 4-2 run, but it didn't faze the Maroon and Gold. The Ramblers won the set and match after Jack Yentz subbed in and posted back-to-back kills.  
 
Notes

• The Ramblers hit .394 while limiting the Bearcats to a measly .149 clip.
• Loyola collected five aces at the helm, and led the kills battle, 39-26.
• MIVA Player of the Year, Van Buren, led with 18 kills on 24 swings for a staggering .708 clip.
• MIVA Newcomer of the Year, Fabikovic, was close behind with eight kills, five blocks and four digs.
• MIVA Second Teamer, Mangun, had a match-high 33 assists plus three aces and six digs.
• MIVA Second Teamer, Meyer, led at the net with seven blocks, tying his season-high.  

 
Up Next
Loyola Chicago will head to Muncie, Ind., for the semifinals and face No. 3 Ohio State this Thursday (April 18) inside Worthen Arena. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT with the match streaming live on ESPN+.