CHICAGO (January 20, 2021) - After having the 2020 season cut short and the 2021 season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Loyola is finally set to open the 26th year of Rambler men's volleyball Friday night when it hosts Lincoln Memorial at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility. The Ramblers are coming off a 7-11 season in 2020, the first time in the program's 25-year existence it had produced a losing record. Despite that uncharacteristic season, Loyola has been picked to finish second in the 2021 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) race.
The Ramblers are 19-6 all time in season openers, but have stumbled in two of their last three, and five of their last nine, lid-lifters. Under sixth-year head coach
Mark Hulse, Loyola is 2-3 on Opening Day, and last season, started the year off on a positive note with a four-set victory over King (25-14, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21) at Gentile Arena.
Loyola has gotten off to fast starts in two of the last three seasons, going 6-1 to start 2019, and 10-2 to open the 2018 campaign.
Following this weekend's matches, Loyola, which will play all of its 2021 contests at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility instead of Gentile Arena, will hit the road for four straight matches. In fact, six of the Ramblers' next eight outings will be played on the road or at neutral sites.
Scouting Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial won its 2021 opener, sweeping Lees-McRae, 25-13, 25-13, 25-20, last Saturday, thanks to eight kills and four service aces from freshman right side Justin Sharfenaker. Friday's match at Loyola kicks off a string of five straight road matches for the Railsplitters.
A season ago, Lincoln Memorial went 14-4, and it brings a 10-match win streak into Friday's contest. Sophomore outside hitter Johansen Negron had an impressive rookie campaign in 2020, racking up 117 kills (1.86 per set) and 23 aces (0.37 per set).
Loyola and Lincoln Memorial are meeting for just the second time and the first since March 3, 2018, when
Will Tischler totaled a team-high 17 kills to power the Ramblers to a 25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-12 decision in Rogers Park.
Garrett Zolg tallied 11 assists and
Devin Joslyn added eight kills for then-No. 6 Loyola, which improved to 15-3 with the win.
Scouting Queens
Last weekend, Queens opened up its 2021 campaign by splitting a pair of contests versus one of Loyola's opponents next weekend - Saint Francis (Pa.). Saturday's matchup with the Ramblers will be the Royals' third in as many days on a three-day road trip through the Midwest.
Glenview native Nic Cavallaro, a senior outside hitter, is off to a fast start, and through two matches had produced 29 kills (4.00 per set) and five aces (0.56 per set), and was hitting .302 (29-10-63). Senior outside hitter Tristan Santoyo accumulated a team-high 198 kills (3.67 per set) and 94 digs (1.74 per set) in 2020.
This is the first meeting between Loyola and Queens.
Up Next
Loyola makes it first road trip of 2021, as it heads to Loretto, Pa., to face Saint Francis (Pa.) and NJIT, January 30 and 31, respectively.
