
The Ramblers left no doubt that they will be in the NCAA Tournament.
Loyola committed three attack errors the entire match and hit .487 as it swept Ohio State 25-10, 25-17, 25-21 in the MIVA Tournament finals on Saturday in Chicago.
Setter Ryan McElligott guided the offense to its second fewest attack errors of the season. In addition, Loyola went 64 consecutive plays without an error during the first and second games en route to earning its first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years.
Every Rambler starter hit at least .400 and six of the starters did not commit an attack error.
Pin-hitter Parker Van Buren led players with 15 kills on a .400 attack percentage, including the championship-winning kill. Outside attacker Jake Read had eight kills and hit .421, while outside attacker Daniel Fabikovic added six kills on a .545 attack percentage.
Read and middle attacker Brad Bell defensively each also had a match-high five blocks.
Loyola limited Ohio State to a .122 attack percentage and held the Buckeyes to a match-worst negative-.077 attack percentage in the opening game.
Outside attacker Stanislaw Chacinski in the loss finished with a team-high 11 kills. Chacinski, though, was the only Buckeye to have both more than five kills and hit more than .200.
This is the first MIVA championship and the first time Ramblers will return to the NCAA Tournament since winning the back-to-back national championships in 2014 and 2015.
Loyola is projected to be the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to the latest Off the Block bracketology.