CHICAGO – In a highly competitive top 10 matchup, No. 8 Loyola Chicago (17-2, 8-2 MIVA) outlasted No. 7 CSUN in a five-set battle on Saturday, March 22 inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers' solid defensive performance, anchored by Nicodemus Meyer, combined with their offensive prowess, sparked by Aidan Klein, proved to be pivotal in the gritty victory.  

"Aidan's been working incredibly hard in practice and showed success earlier in the year, and he came in with a couple of big blocks right away. Then his serving run in set three to finish it off was massive for us to be able to come back. We were down down 17-11 at one point, so he had a huge impact, maybe not numbers wise, but in terms of what he was executing for us," said head coach Shane Davis on Klein's performance. 

How It Happened 
Set One: Loyola came out strong, powered behind the offensive tandem of Parker Van Buren and Ryan McElligott who led the set with eight kills on .700 hitting and 12 assists, respectively. The Ramblers capitalized on numerous Matadors' attack errors and held a strong defensive presence at the net to keep CSUN's hitting to just .160. Van Buren and senior counterpart Meyer sealed the opening set, 25-22, on a big block.  

Set Two: In the second set, CSUN responded with a spirited performance, hitting .333 while holding Loyola to a .136 clip. The Ramblers managed nine kills and two service aces, but a rotation error ultimately discredited two Loyola points, giving the Matadors the second frame, 25-23.  

Set Three: The third set was the grittiest one yet with the Ramblers clawing from being down 15-9 and 20-15 at certain points throughout the frame. Sophomore middle blocker Klein came in for his first minutes of the match and rallied Loyola at the service line with a 4-0 run, bringing the Ramblers to set point. McElligott and Meyer matched for a block to clinch the third, 25-23.  

Set Four: In a nail-biting fourth set, CSUN edged Loyola, 25-23, to force a decisive fifth set after capitalizing on the Ramblers' 33 attack miscues and eight service errors.  

Set Five: The deciding set was a roller coaster with seven tied scores, but Loyola managed to maintain a lead throughout the majority of the frame. At 16-16, a crucial kill from Van Buren, assisted by McElligott, and a clutch block by him and Meyer pushed the Ramblers to victory, 18-16. both teams exchanging  

Inside the Box Score 

• The match saw 43 total tied scores and 14 lead changes throughout.  
• Loyola outblocked CSUN 20-14 with Meyer leading the charge at the net on a career high 11 blocks.  
• Van Buren recorded the match-high 19 kills on .375 hitting and added eight digs and five block assists.  
• The ranked victory marks the Ramblers' sixth top 20 win of the season.  

Up Next 
The Ramblers are home again next week to host conference foe Lindenwood on Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28 with both matches starting at 7 p.m.