Ball State University
Loyola University Chicago
No. 12 Ball State falls in Four to No. 9 Loyola Chicago
March 07, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 12 Cardinals (13-6; 6-3 MIVA) fell to the No. 9 Ramblers (14-2; 6-2 MIVA) in four at home in Worthen Arena Friday night.
Loyola Chicago took Ball State down 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-20), hitting .394 (57-14-109) while holding the Cardinals at a .252 (52-24-111) clip. Outside hitter, Daniel Fabikovic, led the Ramblers with 19 kills at a .378 percentage.
Leading Ball State's offense were Rajé Alleyne with 15 kills, Tinaishe Ndavazocheva with 13 kills and Patrick Rogers with 12 kills. They were assisted by Lucas Machado who recorded 41 assists.
Defensively, Vanis Buckholz led the team with five block assists and three digs.
Set one stayed close through early points. Ball State tried to build a lead at 9-7, but Loyola Chicago was able to get within one at 9-10 to start a five-point run and pass the Cardinals. Ball State responded immediately, tying things back up at 14-14. The set remained close until Ball State found the momentum to pull ahead at the end, taking the first frame 25-22.
The Cardinals appeared to find a rhythm, building a 6-2 lead to start the second set. Ball State continued to lead through 16-14, but the Ramblers turned it on late to reclaim the lead at 18-17. It was back-and-forth between the two teams through final points with Loyola Chicago putting up four in a row to hit set point at 24-21. The Ramblers closed the second frame 25-22.
It was all Loyola Chicago in the third as the Cardinals were never able to find a lead. Despite staying within a few points, Ball State dropped the third set in another 22-25 finish.
With hopes of forcing a fifth set, the Cardinals put up a good battle in the fourth. The home team led through 10-7 and looked to have built some momentum. However, three straight kills from the Ramblers tied the set at 10-10 and put Loyola Chicago right back in the game. The Ramblers were able take the lead from there and maintain it through a 25-20 match-winning point.
Looking ahead, Ball State will travel to Hawaii for the University of Hawaii's Outrigger Tournament. Competition will take place March 13-15 at SimpliFi Arena in Honolulu, O'ahu.
