CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago took down Maryville, 3-1, on Saturday, Jan. 11 inside Gentile Arena for its second win of the season. Sophomore sensation Daniel Fabikovic tallied a career-high 22 kills on a .528 hitting percentage, and junior Ryan McElligott orchestrated the offense with 48 assists, just one shy of his career best. 

"Hats off to Maryville tonight. They played a great match; they passed really well, and they were scrappy. In terms of the effort in what they put in was at the end of set three, on that dig kill, was pretty impressive," said head coach Shane Davis. "They made us better tonight, for sure, and it was great for our team to be able to bounce back after that set three loss and handle set four and put them away. It was a great match on both sides, and definitely after the weekend we know exactly some things that we need to focus on." 

How It Happened 
Set One: The opening set was tightly contested with seven tied scores and one lead change. Parker Van Buren recorded six kills and Fabikovic had five which were critical to keep Loyola ahead late in the set. McElligott posted 14 assists. Defensively, Nicodemus Meyer tallied one solo block, and Van Buren served an ace to close out the first set, 25-23.  

Set Two: Loyola dominated the second set with a .538 hitting percentage, capitalizing on a series of unforced errors by Maryville. Fabikovic continued his strong play with six kills and Van Buren added four while McElligott maintained efficient attacking and distribution with 10 assists and two kills. The Ramblers' improved serving (.929) kept the Saints off balance throughout the frame and they dropped their second set, 25-16.  

Set Three: Maryville refused to go quietly, hitting .885 and rallying late in the third set to edge Loyola, 26-24. The Saints were led by Makai Scott with six kills and Cameron Lee with four. Despite a late push from Loyola's offense, Maryville won its first set to make the score 2-1.  

Set Four: The Ramblers bounced back decisively in the fourth set where Fabikovic dominated at the net with six kills and a .455 hitting percentage. Van Buren and Meyer chipped in with clutch kills, and McElligott's precise setting with 12 assists allowed the Ramblers to hit .609 as a team in the final set, which they won 25-17, to secure their 3-1 victory. 

Inside the Box Score 

• With tonight's victory, Davis is undefeated in his last 12 matches as the Ramblers head coach, dating back to April 10, 2015.  
• The Ramblers hit .495 against the Saints, holding them to a .320 hitting percentage.  
• Jake Read led the team in digs with seven and recorded five kills, hitting .500.  

Up Next  
The Ramblers continue their homestand next weekend against Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.