Game Notes (PDF)
Live Video: Purdue Fort Wayne Match | Ball State Match
Live Stats: Purdue Fort Wayne Match | Ball State Match
 
CHICAGO (February 14, 2019) – Occupant of the best overall record in the MIVA, the No. 7-ranked Loyola Ramblers puts their three-match winning streak on the line against two nationally ranked conference foes. The Ramblers welcome No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne and No. 12 Ball State to Gentile Arena to kick-start the 2019 home conference slate. Loyola faces the Mastodons on Friday (Feb. 15) at 7 p.m. for '90s night at Gentile, and will follow up with Ball State the same time the next day. The Maroon and Gold enter the weekend 8-2 in their last 10 contests.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola got off to a 2-0 start to MIVA play with a pair of road victories against Quincy (Feb. 8) and Lindenwood (Feb. 9). The straight-sets victory over the Hawks featured a team-high 10 kills and seven digs from Collin Mahan, marking the 50^th match of his career with double-digit kills. The win over Lindenwood came in comeback fashion behind 17 kills from Will Tischler on an even .500 hitting. Garrett Zolg notched a double-double (54 assists, 12 digs) to pave the way for his MIVA Offensive Player of the Week honor. The recognition marked the first time ever a Rambler won a conference Player of the Week honor four consecutive weeks.
 
A Look at the Mastodons: Purdue Fort Wayne, picked to finish fifth in the MIVA, has won four of its last five matches, but is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 13 George Mason (Feb. 9). The team's go-to attacker is outside hitter Pelegrin Vargas, whose 3.62 kills per set leads the team and ranks second in the conference. The 2019 Preseason All-MIVA honoree has 10 matches this year of double-digit kills and enters Thursday with the conference lead of 163 total. Directing the attack is setter Michael Keegan, who enters Thursday second in the conference in assists per set (9.68). His production has placed the Mastodons to the nation's ninth highest team assists per set average (12.09).
 
A Look at the Cardinals: Ball State, predicted to finish fourth in the conference, boasts freshman Kaleb Jenness on the outside who leads the team in kills per set (3.40) and attack percentage (.299). The Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, native is averaging 3.71 kills per set over his last six matches, and the Cardinals are 6-2 this season when he registers at least 10 kills. Entering Thursday, the Cardinals rank third in the conference in blocks per set at a 2.34 clip. Leading the charge is Lemuel Turner's 1.09 blocks per set that ranks fifth in the MIVA. Turner compiled 11 blocks (one solo) in the Cardinals' five-set win vs. CSUN (Jan. 19) that earned him MIVA Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Series Stuff: The Ramblers are victorious in their last 12 meetings with Purdue Fort Wayne and enter with an all-time head-to-head edge of 27-20. Friday will be the third consecutive time both teams are ranked in the AVCA Top-15 when playing each other. LUC swept the Mastodons last time they were in Rogers Park in a match that saw three Ramblers notch double-digit kills. Loyola leads the all-time series with Ball State 32-23, including a 22-3 clip at home. The Ramblers have not lost to the Cardinals at home since 1999. In the most recent meeting between the schools, Loyola eliminated BSU from the 2018 MIVA Tournament with a 3-1 win in the semifinals. The match saw the Avery Aylsworth and Ryan Jamison tally 17 digs each to set season highs.
 
Up Next: Loyola continues the home-away pattern next weekend with a road trip to McKendree and Ohio State. The tilt with the Bearcats is set for Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., while the Ramblers will take on the Buckeyes two days later in a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee. The Feb. 24 contest at Ohio State will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
 
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