Game Notes 
Live Video vs. Fort Wayne | Live Stats vs. Fort Wayne
Live Stats vs. Ball State

CHICAGO (February 13, 2018) - Loyola brings a seven-match winning streak into its first road contests in six weeks. Since dropping a three-set affair to current No. 1 Long Beach State on January 13, the sixth-ranked Ramblers have rattled off seven straight victories, including four versus teams ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I-II Poll. In its lone true road match of 2018, Loyola upended then-No. 3 BYU in five sets in the season opener.
 
Scouting Fort Wayne
After opening the 2018 season with eight consecutive victories, Fort Wayne has dropped two of its last three contests - at No. 9 Penn State and at No. 5 Ohio State. The No. 14 Mastodons are a perfect 4-0 at home this season, but will be playing their first match on their home floor since January 20 when they knocked off Sacred Heart. Sophomore outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas leads Fort Wayne with 3.66 kills per set and has posted double-digit stops in nine contests.
 
Loyola has prevailed in each of its last 10 meetings Fort Wayne, and has not lost at Gates Sports Center since January 30, 2009, winning nine straight on the Mastodons' home floor. The Ramblers are 13-9 all-time versus the Mastodons in Fort Wayne.
 
Scouting Ball State
Ball State has suffered four losses in its last five outings, dropping each of its first two MIVA contests of year last weekend. The Cardinals, who ended Loyola's season with a MIVA Tournament quarterfinal victory in Muncie last season, are 4-2 at Worthen Arena this year, winning two straight. The Ramblers have struggled against Ball State in Muncie, going just 8-17 at Worthen Arena since the teams first met in 1996.
 
The tandem of Matt Walsh and Matt Szews leads Ball State's attack as the duo has combined for 229 of the team's 553 kills (41 percent) this season. Walsh, a Preseason All-MIVA pick, averages 2.40 kills, 1.02 blocks and 0.29 aces per set and is hitting a team-best .400 (115-31-210) on the year.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns home next weekend when it opens a five-match homestand with contests versus McKendree (Feb. 23) and Ohio State (Feb. 24).