CHICAGO (December 31, 2019) – The No. 11 ranked Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team open the regular season with two home matches against King (Thursday, Jan. 2) and BYU (Friday, Jan. 3). Both matches start at 7 p.m. and will mark the fourth time in five years the Ramblers commence at home.
 
2020 Preview: This season, No. 11 Loyola earned 78 total points in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Coaches Poll and were named to the Top-15 for the 94th consecutive season. The Ramblers were picked third in the 2020 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Preseason Poll and earned 46 points to linger behind No. 1 Lewis and No. 2 Purdue Fort Wayne. Junior setter Garrett Zolg was named to the Preseason All-MIVA team after leading the MIVA in assists per set (10.87) last season. The junior earned his second straight AVCA Honorable Mention All-America selection and netted All-MIVA First Team honors once again, becoming the third Rambler to take home two MIVA first team honors within the first two years in the program. Zolg was the only MIVA student-athlete to average double-digit helpers per set. Senior Kyle Piekarski is one of three returning starters this season joining Zolg and sophomore Luke Denton. Piekarski started at middle blocker for the first time last season and recorded 201 kills in 2019, which ranked fourth on the team. The Plainfield, Illl. native compiled a .420 attack percentage to finish third in the MIVA. Denton made quite the impact in his rookie season, starting in 18 of 19 matches at opposite hitter and tallied 140 kills over the course of 61 sets. Loyola returns seven letterwinners that led last year's team to a 21-8 (12-2 MIVA) record. The team finished second in conference and ninth in the AVCA. After losing key players in graduating seniors Collin Mahan, Avery Aylsworth, Paul Narup and Will Tischler, the Ramblers will look for guidance from Piekarski, Zolg and Denton. In addition to the returnees, Loyola welcomes six incoming freshman and one transfer to the 2020 squad. The Ramblers add outside hitters Jack Yentz, Jake Maffett, Colton Brooks and Penn State transfer Henry Payne, as well as setter Brian Voight, middle blocker Anton Frank and libero Taylan Cook.

Scouting the Tornado: Finishing 20-10 overall, King earned their third consecutive Conference Carolina's regular season title before falling short of the Conference Carolina's tournament title last season. The second-seeded Tornado pushed top-seeded Barton to extra points in the fifth set, but Barton came back to take the set 17-15. King returns All-Conference Carolina first team selection junior Sean Kohlhase, who ranked fourth in the league with an average of 3.35 kills per set and fifth with 342 kills. The Tornado also returns sophomore Joshua Kim, a All-Conf. Carolina third team honoree who posted four double-doubles and averaged 2.70 kills and 1.69 digs per set.
 
Scouting the Cougars: No. 3 BYU completed its 23-straight winning season with a 13-12 record in 2019. The Cougars return 16 student-athletes from last season, including two All-America honorees and three freshmen. BYU is expected to win the Mountain West Pacific Sports Federation title for the fourth time in five years. Head coach Shawn Olmstead enters his fifth season at BYU holding the highest winning percentage of any active NCAA DI-DII head coach. Olmstead boasts a 88-28 (.759 winning percentage) and coached the Cougars to back-to-back NCAA Championship matches in 2016 and 2017. Two-time AVCA All-American Gabi Garcia Fernandez returns after leading the team with 390 kills, 136 digs and 32 aces. The opposite hitter also added 67 blocks. 

Series Stuff: Loyola leads the all-time series record between King at a 3-0, with two wins at Gentile Arena and one win on the road. The Ramblers swept the Tornado 3-0 in their last meeting in Bristol, Tenn. on Jan. 12, 2019. Garrett Zolg posted 34 assists and Luke Denton had nine kills. BYU leads the all-time series 6-5, despite Loyola winning four of the last five matches. The teams went to five sets in Provo, Utah on Jan. 5, 2018. Garrett Zolg's 46 assists and Dane Leclair's 15 kills put the Ramblers on top.
 
Up Next: The Ramblers take the road to face UC San Diego (Jan. 10) and No. 8 UC Irvine (Jan. 11). Both matches will be played at 9 p.m. CT.