CHICAGO (February 11, 2021) - No. 13 Loyola will try to extend a seven-match winning streak, which dates back to last season, when it returns to The Alfie Norville Practice Facility to entertain Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association rival Lindenwood on February 12 and 13. Dating back to 2020, the Ramblers have prevailed in four of their last five MIVA contests, including each of the last three. At 6-0 this season, Loyola is off to its best start since 2015 when it opened the year by winning its first 13 matches on the way to a second straight NCAA championship. 
 
Over the last two outings, Loyola is hitting a scorching .403 (74-18-139) as a team and its .336 hitting percentage this season ranks second in the nation through matches of February 7, behind only George Mason (.343). 
 
Loyola has gotten off to fast starts in three of the last four seasons, going 6-1 to start 2019, 10-2 to open the 2018 campaign and is 6-0 in 2021. The last time the Ramblers began a season with seven straight wins was 2015, when they opened the year 13-0.
 
The Ramblers have won four of their last five matches on their home floor and are 2-0 at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility this season.
 
Through six outings, Loyola has gone the minimum three sets four times and sports an unblemished 4-0 ledger in those contests. A year ago, the Ramblers posted just one three-set victory, a 3-0 sweep of Urbana (Jan. 25, 2020).
 
The last time the Ramblers won their first three MIVA matches was 2019 when they rattled off six straight wins to open conference play.
 
Loyola – Lindenwood – The Series
Loyola and Lindenwood will be meeting for the 25th time in a series that began in 2001. The Ramblers dominated the series until 2017, winning each of their first 17 matchups with the Lions, but Lindenwood has taken three of the last seven meetings, including a five-set win in St. Charles, Mo., last February. In that contest, Cole Schlothauer ripped 18 kills and Devin Joslyn added 11 kills and 10 digs, but Diego Negron's 23 kills helped Lindenwood slip past the Ramblers. Loyola is an unblemished 16-0 against Lindenwood in the Windy City, losing just six sets in those 16 matches in Rogers Park.
 
Scouting LIndenwood
After claiming its first three contests of 2021, Lindenwood hit a bump in the road last weekend, dropping each of its two matches versus McKendree in three sets. The Lions are 2-0 on the road this season and one of those victories came at Lincoln Memorial, which Loyola also defeated in four sets earlier this year. Sophomore outside hitter A.J. Lewis leads the Lions with 3.24 kills per set and is also providing 0.94 digs and 0.76 blocks per set, and redshirt junior outside hitter Diego Negron contributes 2.65 kills, 1.94 digs and 0.94 aces per set. Lindenwood's roster features six players from the Chicagoland area.
 
Up Next
Loyola heads to Columbus, Ohio next week to take on No. 14 Ohio State, February 20 and 21.