MUNCIE, Ind. – No. 2 seeded Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball fell in four sets (20-25, 24-26, 28-26, 22-25) to No. 3 Ohio State in the semifinal round of the 2024 MIVA Tournament Thursday afternoon inside Worthen Arena. Parker Van Buren tallied a season-high 26 kills, but it wasn't enough as the Ramblers were eliminated one round shy of the title match.

"I'm proud of our team for our fight," said Loyola Head Coach John Hawks. "I thought we had a good year. I am sad for our seniors that we had to go out like this in the semifinals. Ohio State was really good tonight - they played hard, and we just couldn't get them out of system for a lot of the match. So, they just kept running quick and did what they were going to do. I just feel like they were just a little bit better tonight. Parker was how he was the last month of the season - he took over. But we needed a little bit of help, and we just didn't have enough tonight. But I'm proud of the guys, I love each one of them and I can't wait to get back at it next year."

How it Happened
Loyola Chicago claimed the first point of the day after Shane Wetzel's service error, but the defending champions embarked on a 12-4 run to take command early. With Ohio State leading, 20-11, Loyola found a spark after OSU suffered three-straight errors, making the score 20-14. OSU ended the run with two quick points, but the Maroon and Gold resumed the sprint after kills from Jake Read and Van Buren, plus an Ohio State error, brought Loyola within five at 22-17. Later, and with OSU at set point, Van Buren posted back-to-back kills to make it a four-point affair (24-20). However, the Buckeyes laid down the set-winner on the ensuing point, taking a1-0 lead in the match.

Ohio State jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second set before Loyola found its rhythm with a 4-1 run to tie the frame, 11-11. Nicodemus Meyer's ace capped Loyola's stretch. The 'Blers took a 16-15 lead after another 3-0 run – which was sparked by three OSU errors – but OSU used a 6-2 run to regain the advantage, 21-18. Later, with the Buckeyes up, 23-21, the Ramblers took off on a 3-1 run to level set at 24-24, but Ohio State won the set after securing the final two points, 26-24.

Hitting .292 in the third set, LUC stole a frame from the Buckeyes after an exciting, back-and-forth set. After an OSU service error, Loyola had a 4-3 lead before the Buckeyes used three-straight points to take a 11-8 lead. LUC, however, matched with a 3-0 run of its own to knot the frame, 11-11. The two squads continued to trade blows well past 25 points. Van Buren gave Loyola its third set point at 26-25 with his kill from Mangun, but OSU extended the set further by matching the kill. The Buckeyes committed a service error on the ensuing point, giving LUC another chance at its fourth set point. Van Buren found the set-winning kill from Daniel Fabikovic as Loyola avoided the sweep, 28-26.   

With the two teams hitting sub .180 in the fourth and final set, it looked as if the match would go the distance. However, Ohio State found the momentum to win the night cap. With Loyola behind, 22-21, after two OSU errors, Van Buren leveled the contest after laying down a kill from Mangun. But, two LUC errors and Wetzel's kill ended the set and match, 25-22.

Notes

• Van Buren posted a season-high 26 kills in the loss. His season-total eclipsed 402.
• Mangun posted 39 assists.
• Meyer and van Buren had four blocks each.
• Fabikovic and JJ Sowa owned seven digs apiece.

Up Next
Loyola will hear its postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show this Sunday (April 21). The event will stream live on NCAA.com at 3 p.m. CT.