CHICAGO (February 16, 2023)
 
In Short…
The 13th-ranked Loyola men's volleyball team (10-2, 3-0 MIVA) knocked off No. 11 Ball State (6-5, 1-2 MIVA) Thursday night in the MIVA home opener inside Gentile Arena, 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-22). Four Ramblers posted seven or more kills, led by Parker Van Buren with 12 and a team-high six digs, while Cole Schlothauer and Colton Brooks each had nine kills.
 
How it Happened
Loyola bounced back from the opening set defeat after the visiting Cardinals used a late three-point swing to secure the 1-0 lead in the match.
 
A kill by Brooks put Loyola ahead 20-19 in the first set, before Ball State took a 24-21 advantage after four kills down the stretch by Kaleb Jenness, who finished with a match-high 21 on the night. The opening set featured 12 ties and three lead changes – the most on the night.
 
The Ramblers stormed back in the second set to even the match, grabbing a 12-5 lead and holding on after the Cards trimmed the deficit back down to two at 17-15. Van Buren recorded four kills and Brooks had three as the Ramblers outhit the Cardinals .360 to .200 in the second frame.
 
Loyola kept the momentum rolling along in Set 3, where it jumped out to a 16-8 lead on another Brooks kill to force a Ball State timeout. The Cards were able to pull within four at the end of the set but it was too little, too late.
 
The final set saw plenty of back-and-forth action with the Ramblers grabbing their largest lead of the frame at 18-13 on a kill from Jimmy Meinhart. However, Ball State battled to the end and pulled within a point at 23-22, before back-to-back kills from Van Buren sealed the win.
 
The Ramblers hit a match-high .550 (12-1-20) in the fourth and final set, with four kills from Van Buren and three from Meinhart.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Loyola hit .337 overall while holding Ball State below .300 (.290)
• Brooks, Schlothauer and Van Buren each served up two aces
• Dan Mangun recorded 43 assists with four block assists and an ace
• Van Buren logged his seventh outing with double-digit kills
• Meinhart and Nicodemus Meyer (career-high) each tallied seven kills
• Loyola posted 12 total team blocks to Ball State's seven

Up Next
Loyola hosts No. 10 Ohio State, in a matchup of the only remaining unbeaten teams in the MIVA, Saturday night at Gentile Arena with a 7 p.m. first serve.