Loyola to host 2014 men’s volleyball championship

For the first time, the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Final Four will be held in Chicago when Loyola University plays host to the event, May 1 and May 3 in 2014.

NCAA officials made the announcement Thursday morning, and this is the first time Loyola has hosted an NCAA Championship in any sport.

“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,” said Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, Loyola assistant vice president and director of Athletics. “We look to re-establish Loyola as a prominent player on the national stage, and hosting this event only helps raise our profile.”

National semifinal games will be played on May 1, with the championship match scheduled for May 3. All matches will be played in newly renovated Gentile Arena on Loyola’s Lake Shore campus.

“Chicago is a world-class city and one in which its residents love sports,” Loyola head men’s volleyball coach Shane Davis said. “Gentile Arena is one of the premier facilities of its size in the nation and we look forward to showcasing what we have to offer and to putting on a first-class NCAA Championship.”

Loyola’s men’s volleyball program has been one of the most successful programs in the MIVA for nearly two decades. Since the program was founded in 1996, the Ramblers have posted eight 20-win seasons and claimed at least a share of the MIVA regular-season title three times (2002, 2005 and 2006).