CHICAGO (April 8, 2021) - No. 11 Loyola University Chicago (13-5) opens the 2021 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament with a quarterfinal-round match against Lindenwood Saturday night at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility. The Ramblers are aiming for their first MIVA Tournament title since 2015 and they have won 17 of their last 18 quarterfinal round matches, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of Ball State (3-1) in 2017.

Not since April 18, 1999, a four-set defeat to Ball State, has Loyola lost a MIVA Tournament quarterfinal match on its home floor, a string of 17 straight contests.

The last No. 2 seed to win the MIVA Tournament championship, ironically enough, was Loyola in 2015, when it knocked off top-seeded Lewis in the championship match and would later defeat the Flyers in an epic NCAA championship contest for its second straight national title.

In two matches against Lindenwood this season, outside hitter Cole Schlothauer produced 4.00 kills and 1.29 digs per set. The redshirt sophomore is hitting at a .236 (46-17-123) clip with 3.83 kills and 1.42 digs per set. He has smashed double-digit kills in each of his three career appearances versus Lindenwood. In two outings versus Lindenwood this year, Loyola hit .328 (99-33-201).

Loyola – Lindenwood – The Series

Loyola and Lindenwood will be meeting for the 27th 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, and since then, Loyola is 6-3 against its MIVA rival. This season, Loyola swept the two-match series from Lindenwood at The Alfie Norville Practice Facility, as Cole Schlothauer clubbed a total of 28 kills in the two matches. Loyola is an unblemished 18-0 against Lindenwood in the Windy City, losing just seven sets in those 18 matches in Rogers Park. The Ramblers swept Lindenwood in 2018 in the only MIVA Tournament meeting between the teams.

Scouting Lindenwood 

Since capturing the first three outings of 2021, Lindenwood has lost 12 of its last 14 matches, although it broke a five-match losing skid with a five-set decision over Purdue Fort Wayne on April 3. The Lions are 2-7 in true road matches this season and will be seeking their first-ever victory at Loyola. An outside hitting tandem of sophomore A.J. Lewis (3.29 kills, 1.07 digs, 0.78 blocks per set) and redshirt Diego Negron (3.10 kills, 1.65 digs per set) leads a Lindenwood attack that is hitting .232 as a team. Junior outside hitter Phil Swartz adds 2.55 kills and 1.43 digs per set for the Lions.

Up Next

The winner of Saturday's quarterfinal match will face the winner of the No. 3 seed McKendree versus No. 6 seed Purdue Fort Wayne match in the MIVA Tournament semifinals on April 17.