GAME NOTES (PDF)
LIVE VIDEO: CSUN Match | UC Santa Barbara Match
LIVE STATS: CSUN Match | UC Santa Barbara Match
 
CHICAGO (January 24, 2019) – The Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team is flying high on its way into the weekend. Winners of their last five matches, the Ramblers check in as the No. 5 ranked team in the nation and will put their winning streak on the line against a pair of nationally ranked California schools. The two road matches see the Maroon and Gold squaring off with No. 11 CSUN (Jan. 25) and No. 10 UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 26) – both set for 9 p.m. CT.
 
Last Time Out: The Ramblers picked up their fourth and fifth wins in a row last weekend against No. 5 Pepperdine and UC San Diego. The victory against the Waves (Jan. 18) was in comeback fashion that ended in a five-set win. Loyola followed that up with a sweep over UC San Diego (Jan. 19) for the program's 100^th all-time win at Gentile Arena. Senior outside hitter Collin Mahan's weekend numbers of 3.50 kills per set on .309 hitting earned him MIVA Offensive Player of the Week.
 
A Look at the Matadors: CSUN, picked to finish fifth in the Big West, enters the weekend at No. 11 in the AVCA poll with a trio of Top-15 wins to its credit, including a sweep of No. 2 UCLA (Jan. 9). The Matadors have a new setter in Taylor Ittner running the offense, and his early-season success has garnered him back-to-back Big West Freshman Player of the Week honors. Head Coach Mark Hulse will also be tasked with containing Dimitar Kalchev on the outside. The Kardzhali, Bulgaria, native finished 2018 on the All-Big West First Team and currently ranks seventh in the conference with a 3.20 kills per set average.
 
A Look at the Gauchos: The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, tabbed fourth in the Big West preseason poll, are winners of their last two matches against MIVA opponents entering Friday. Senior outside hitter Corey Chavers has led the attack on the young season with a robust 3.29 kills per set average on .309 hitting. The 2018 First Team All-Big West selection has chipped in 15 aces thus far (0.48 per set) to rank 18^th nationally. The team's secondary production has come from a handful of freshmen, most notably Haotian Xia. His 2.82 kills per set ranks second on the team, and his six aces is tied for third. The Gauchos have a chance to knock off their third consecutive MIVA opponent when they take on No. 9 Lewis on Friday night (Jan. 25).
 
Series Stuff: Loyola has won the last two head-to-head meetings and looks to even up the all-time series with CSUN, entering at a 3-4 record. Friday night also provides the Ramblers with a chance to earn its first victory on the road against the Matadors. Last year in Rogers Park, Collin Mahan posted 19 kills and three aces, while Devin Joslyn registered a career-high nine digs in the 3-1 Rambler win. LUC also has a chance to even the all-time head-to-head series with the Gauchos. In three previous meetings, UC San Diego captured the first two but the Ramblers got the better of them last season with a 3-1 win in Gentile.
 
Up Next: The Maroon and Gold come home for a Thursday-Saturday slate featuring two historical great programs in UCLA and Penn State. Thursday (Jan. 31) against the Bruins is a 7 p.m. first serve while Saturday (Feb. 2) is an afternoon contest against the Nittany Lions, beginning at 3 p.m. inside Gentile Arena.
 
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