CHICAGO -- No. 8 Loyola Chicago tallied a .436 attack percentage on the way to a three-set victory (25-21, 25-11, 25-20) over Queens on Friday, March 13 inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers improved to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) play. 

Junior outside Daniel Fabikovic finished with 14 kills on .522 to lead the Ramblers' attack and their defense got seven digs from senior libero JJ Sowa and four blocks from junior middle Aidan Klein.

Coach Quote: Shane Davis
 "A big shoutout to our servers tonight, Aidan Klein did a really good job from the service line, putting a ton of pressure on Queens so that they were on their heels for most of the second set. We were able to ride that momentum, make some changes and didn't settle. Tomorrow, I'd like to see us have a faster first set start. Tonight, we were more error prone and it kept Queens close. We kept great pressure, and we need to keep that pressure on them from an attack standpoint, and there's some lineup from our blocking that can be better tomorrow too."

How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers survived a back-and-forth first set to win 25-21. The lead changed seven times and there were 13 tied scores. Neither team led by more than four points in the set.

SET 2 | After a set-one victory, Loyola put themselves on the cusp of a sweep with a 25-11 victory in set two. The Ramblers led from the first point on to earn a 2-0 lead. Loyola opened its biggest lead, 14 points, to close out the set. The Ramblers hit .778 over the course of the stanza, led by Fabikovic. Loyola's offense also got a boost from five aces in the frame, four of which came from Klein. 

SET 3 | Loyola capped the three-set sweep with another victory in set three. The Ramblers won 25-20 thanks to a strong showing on the attacking side, putting together a .400 hitting clip with 13 kills. The Ramblers ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. Loyola's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Queens' attacks in the frame.

inside the Box Score

• Klein marked his third match this season with four service aces. 
• Loyola recorded its fifth match hitting above .400 as a team. 
• The Ramblers' attack was helped by a match-high 35 assists from senior setter Ryan McElligott.

Up Next
The Ramblers rematch the Royals tomorrow, Saturday, March 14 at 5 p.m.