CHICAGO (January 11, 2023) – The 12th-ranked Loyola (1-0) men's volleyball team continues the season-opening homestand with a pair of back-to-back matches against King (0-1) and UC San Diego (1-2). First serve in Thursday's match against King is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT, before a 7 p.m. CT start time in Friday's tilt with UC San Diego. Both matches will air live on ESPN+ from Gentile Arena.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Head coach John Hawks earned his first career win as Loyola swept Missouri S&T, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 27-25), Monday night for the program's fourth straight victory in a home opener. The Ramblers featured seven players with at least four kills, led by Parker Van Buren, Colton Brooks and Jack Yentz each with five. Setter Dan Mangun tallied 17 assists while libero Matt Oakley collected a team-high seven digs. Loyola overcame a sluggish start against the upstart Miners to finish off each set with authority, including an 11-4 run to close the opening frame and 7-2 spurt to clinch the second. The Ramblers hit .369 overall in the match including .600 in the second set, while limiting Missouri S&T to an overall .125 team hitting percentage.
 
SERIES STUFF
Loyola won all five previous meetings with King, including a thrilling five-setter on the road last season that saw Van Buren put down 18 kills while swinging at a .429 clip. The Ramblers are 5-2 in the all-time series against UC San Diego, posting three consecutive sweeps before falling in a five-set decision in the most recent meeting in 2020. Cole Schlothauer led the Ramblers with 15 kills and seven digs in that match. Loyola won in straight sets during the only previous meeting with UC San Diego held at Gentile in 2019.
 
SCOUTING KING
King opened the season at Purdue Fort Wayne last Friday, falling in three sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-14). Junior outside hitter Warren Davis led the Tornado with 10 kills. King finished last season with an overall record of 17-12, falling to Mount Olive in the Conference Carolinas tournament semifinals. Head coach Ryan Booher is now in his 14th season leading the Tornado men's volleyball program, and just completed his fourth season at the helm of the women's program.
 
SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
UC San Diego is coming off a five-set defeat against No. 10 USC last Saturday in its finale at the Asics Invitational. The Tritons claimed the first two sets, 25-22 & 25-20, before suffering a reverse sweep with a 15-12 setback in the deciding set. UC San Diego battled second-ranked UCLA in a 3-0 loss last Friday, after opening the season with a five-set victory over Lincoln Memorial on Thursday. Redshirt senior outside hitter Ryan Ka leads UC San Diego with 3.54 kills per set, along with redshirt senior opposite Berkeley Miesfeld at 2.30 kills per set. Head coach Brad Rostratter was named head coach on October 7, 2022, after leading NAIA Vanguard University for three seasons. UC San Diego finished 13-11 (5-5 Big West) last season.
 
UP NEXT
Loyola will head east for back-to-back matches at NJIT and LIU on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 20-21.