CHICAGO (February 19, 2020) – Coming off a 1-1 weekend on the road, the Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team returns home this weekend to host matches against MIVA rivals Ohio State (Friday, Feb. 21) and Ball State (Saturday, Feb. 22) at 7 p.m. Saturday's match against Ball State marks the Ramblers inaugural Pride Day which is in partnership with the Loyola women's basketball team. All are welcome and members of the LGBTQIA+ community are invited to attend both games for $5. Tickets can be purchased at ramblertickets.com.

Last Time Out: Loyola picked up its first win in MIVA play and first win on the road on Friday night, defeating Quincy, 3-1. The Ramblers then played a hard-fought battle with Lindenwood on Saturday night, falling in five sets. Devin Joslyn picked up his first career double-double against Lindenwood, registering a career-high 10 digs and 11 kills. Jake Maffett made his starting debut for the Ramblers against Quincy and posted numbers across the board, tallying nine kills, five digs, one ace, one block and one assist. Cole Schlothauer, Kyle Piekarski and Joslyn each tallied double-digit kills in both matches. Schlothauer still leads the MIVA with 173 kills, while Piekarski continues to lead with a .507 hitting percentage (88-17-140).

Scouting the Buckeyes: Ohio State (9-4, 1-1 MIVA) is coming off a 3-0 victory over MIVA foe McKendree, after previously falling to No. 6 Lewis, 0-3. The Buckeyes are receiving AVCA Division I-II votes this week after dropping from No 14 last week. Junior outside hitter Martin Lallemand tops the team with 134 kills and 3.19 kills per set this season. He has also totaled 29.0 blocks to average .069 blocks per set. Freshman outside hitter Tim Baldwin has also been a key player defensively for the Buckeyes. Baldwin picked up MIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors January 28 after posting consistent defensive numbers, notching five digs (2.50 per set) and a block in the Buckeyes 3-0 win over USC and also recording nine digs (2.25 per set) and three blocks (1.00 per set) in Ohio State's 3-1 loss to No. 6 UCLA. Head coach Kevin Burch is in his first season leading the Buckeyes, after previously serving as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Burch was an assistant coach during Ohio State's back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Scouting the Cardinals: Like OSU, Ball State (8-4, 1-1 MIVA) is also coming off a 3-1 victory over McKendree and a 1-3 loss to No. 6 Lewis. Senior Matt Szews was named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team and now leads the Cardinals with 17 service aces and is second on the team with 115 kills and 20.0 blocks. Last season, Szews was a First Team All-MIVA honoree after leading Ball State with 383 kills and 39 service aces. Sophomore Kaleb Jenness currently leads Ball State in kills and ranks second in the MIVA with 3.94 kills per set. Jenness has also added 53 digs and 15.0 blocks. Head coach Joel Walton is in his 20th season with the Cardinals and has previously guided them to 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Series Stuff: Ohio State leads the all-time series over the Ramblers, 37-23. The teams last met in the MIVA Tournament on April 13, 2019 at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers defeated the Buckeyes, 3-1 and Kyle Piekarski recorded nine kills and a team-high six blocks. Loyola leads the all-time series over Ball State, 34-23. The Ramblers last met the Cardinals on the road in Muncie, Ind. and captured a three-set victory. Kyle Piekarski posted a team-high six blocks in the win.

Up Next: The Ramblers continue their homestand, hosting McKendree on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.