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The men’s volleyball Final Four will be coming to Chicago.
The NCAA announced Friday Loyola will host the NCAA Tournament for the 2014 season.
This is the first time Loyola has ever been awarded the bid to host the NCAA championship. It also will be the first NCAA Tournament played in the Midwest since Ohio State hosted the national championships in 2007.
Loyola won the bid over other Midwest cities because of its newly renovated Gentile Arena. The stadium, which the Ramblers moved into last season, is a 4,486-seat facility and includes a video-board and new locker rooms.
“We are delighted the NCAA recognized Loyola’s state-of-the-art arena and enhanced commitment to athletics in awarding us the 2014 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship,” Loyola Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Grace Calhoun said in a statement released Friday. “In addition to the elevation of our programs in the Horizon League and the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings, we look to re-establish Loyola as a prominent player on the national stage, and hosting this event only helps raise our profile.”
Loyola finished last season in third place in the MIVA and lost in the conference tournament semifinals. The Ramblers have never reached the NCAA Tournament in their program history.
The 2014 NCAA Tournament semifinals will be played Thursday, May 1 and the championship match is scheduled for Saturday, May 3.