CHICAGO (March 15, 2023) – Riding the second-longest active win streak in the country, Loyola (16-2, 8-0 MIVA) returns to action Thursday evening in a battle of nationally-ranked teams as the ninth-ranked Ramblers host No. 14 Charleston (17-1, 3-1 EIVA). First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT at Gentile Arena, with the match airing live on ESPN+.
 
Loyola also holds the sixth-best home win streak (10) and second-longest conference win streak (8) in the nation. A victory tomorrow night would equal the squad's longest win streak since 2015. That year, the Ramblers started 13-0 and closed the year with 10 straight wins on its way to a second straight national title.
 
It's a big week for awards as redshirt sophomore setter Dan Mangun was selected both the MIVA Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Week. Last week, Mangun dished out 89 assists over eight sets of action for an 11.13 average per set. He led the Ramblers to a .312 hitting percentage for the week, including .353 clip against Queens. His 58 assists in the win last Friday marked a new career high, while also collecting 13 digs in his fifth double-double this season.
 
It's Mangun's first Player of the Week recognition and Loyola's fourth conference Player of the Week this season and third in a row. The last time a Rambler earned AVCA National Player of the Week occurred last season, with Parker Van Buren earning the award on Feb. 15, 2022.
 
Loyola ranks fourth in the nation in blocks per set (2.581) and kills per set (12.71), while ranking seventh in aces per set (1.79) and 10th in hitting percentage (.319).
 
Van Buren ranks third in the nation in points per set (4.94) and fifth in kills (4.10), while Nicodemus Meyer leads the MIVA and ranks fifth in blocks per set (1.206).
 
Last Time Out
Loyola improved to 3-1 in five-set matches after it pulled off a reverse sweep over McKendree last Friday (20-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13). Parker Van Buren registered a double-double with 21 kills and 10 digs, while Dan Mangun also logged a double-double, his fifth of the season, with a career-high 58 assists and 13 digs. Cole Schlothauer put down 19 kills to surpass the 900-career mark, and Nicodemus Meyer recorded a career-best nine kills to help lead Loyola. The tightly contested match, which marked the second meeting against the Bearcats in two weeks, featured an incredible 62 tie scores and 23 lead changes.
 
In the deciding set, Loyola claimed its largest lead of the night when a kill by Schlothauer gave the Ramblers a 7-3 advantage. The Ramblers went up 9-6, but the Bearcats made a final push and evened the score with three consecutive points before eventually taking the lead at 11-10. Then, the Ramblers responded with three straight points on the other side of the net, with a kill from Schlothauer and back-to-back points from Van Buren as Loyola held on for the impressive comeback victory. Van Buren finished with seven total kills in the final set.
 
Series Stuff
Thursday's match will mark the third meeting between Loyola and Charleston, with the Ramblers holding a 2-0 lead in the series. Loyola swept the first meeting in 2016, before claiming a four-set victory in 2020. The most recent match was the program's 500th win, as Schlothauer paced the Ramblers with 13 kills.
 
Scouting Charleston
The Golden Eagles, who moved up a spot in this week's national rankings, are flying high after improving to 17-1 following a pair of wins over Mount Olive (NC) last weekend. Charleston has set a new program record for most wins in a season, while clinching just the second regular season above .500 in program history. The Golden Eagles are 11-0 at home and 4-1 on the road this spring, with its lone loss against George Mason that came in the second match of a back-to-back in EIVA play. Charleston ranks first in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.153), second in blocks per set (2.669) and third in digs per set (10.14). Setter Diego Villafane ranks second in the nation in assists per set (10.44) and was selected the AVCA National Player of the Week on February 19. Lachlan Bray and Garret Schnitker are both averaging over three kills per set for the Golden Eagles.
 
Up Next
Loyola travels to Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday, before returning to Gentile Arena next Thursday against Lewis.