CHICAGO, Ill. -- In front of its home crowd, No. 10 Loyola Chicago downed No. 19 Purdue Fort Wayne in a 3-1 victory to advance to the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament semifinals. Junior middle Aidan Klein tallied 12 kills on .733 hitting to help carry the Ramblers over the Mastodons.
Four Ramblers met double-digit kills: Josh Schellinger (14), Daniel Fabikovic (13), Bryce Robbins (13) and Klein (12). Fabikovic matched his career-high nine digs and Klein had the match-high seven blocks to lead the team defensively.
Coach Quote: Shane Davis
"Losses naturally create more focus in the following week of practice. Our guys were really good in practice this week, not only from a discipline standpoint, but execution from an offense, block and serve standpoint. Playing Purdue Fort Wayne later in the regular season helped us out and set us up for another match against them tonight. They're a really tough team and we knew it would be a battle; it's been a battle the first two rounds with them. They play hard and we knew that they were going to play every single moment of the match. I'm happy we were able to come out on top of this one."
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Ramblers grabbed control on the first point and never looked back to secure the first set in extra points, 27-25. Loyola totaled 16 kills on .419 hitting en route to victory. Klein led the way with five kills while senior Brad Bell stuffed three Purdue Fort Wayne attack attempts.
SET 2 | Loyola continued rolling into a 25-20 second-set win, hitting .458 in the frame. Fabikovic and Klein finished the set with a block at the net.
SET 3 | Purdue Fort Wayne did not go quietly, fighting to take the third set 28-26. The Ramblers gave up a seven point lead in the frame.
SET 4 | Loyola quickly responded with a 25-16 victory to clinch the match. The Ramblers racked up 13 kills in the win while hitting .455. Fabikovic closed out the noise and finished the match with a decisive spike.
Inside the Box Score
- Klein's seven blocks match his career high.
- Robbins' recorded a season-high 13 kills while hitting .478.
- Loyola attackers combined to hit .381 in the match.
- Senior setter Ryan McElligott facilitated the Ramblers' attack with the match-high 52 assists.
Up Next
Loyola stays home to host 6-seeded Lewis in the MIVA Tournament semifinals on Wednesday, April 22 at 7 p.m.
