CHICAGO (March 6, 2023) – The ninth-ranked Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team (14-2) returns to action Tuesday in a non-conference match against Queens University of Charlotte (7-8). First serve is slated for 7 p.m. CT, with the contest airing live on ESPN+.
 
Last Time Out
Loyola won its second five-setter of the season, taking down Purdue Fort Wayne Saturday night (22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12). Parker Van Buren tallied 20 kills and nine digs, while Cole Schlothauer and Colton Brooks recorded 17 and 11, respectively. Dan Mangun recorded a career-high 49 assists for the second straight match and third time overall this season.
 
After dropping the first set which included a match-high nine ties, Loyola bounced back to take the second and third frames in convincing fashion. In the deciding set, Van Buren (6) and Schlothauer (4) combined for all 10 of Loyola's kills as the Ramblers outhit the Mastodons .409 to .333. Loyola never trailed in the fifth frame after it jumped out to a 5-3 lead and thwarted Purdue Fort Wayne's comeback attempt which included five ties.
 
Meinhart finished with seven kills and seven block assists, along with four kills and three block assists from Nicodemus Meyer. Loyola hit .321 overall including a match-best .565 in the third set. Purdue Fort Wayne recorded a team hitting percentage of .198 while limited to -.048 in the third set. Van Buren registered his fourth outing with 20 or more kills – he's seven shy of 600 career kills. Schlothauer is five kills away from 900 in his career.
 
Series Stuff
Tuesday's match will mark the second meeting between Loyola and Queens, and the last non-conference battle before the Royals join the MIVA next season. The Ramblers swept the first meeting two seasons ago when Queens made the trip to Chicago, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21. Schlothauer had a team-high 15 kills (.414) while Colton Brooks made his first career start as a redshirt freshman with five kills. Meinhart led with six blocks in just his second career appearance as a true freshman.
 
Scouting Queens
The Royals have won four consecutive matches, with three of those on the road, including a sweep of Lees-McRae the last time out. Sophomore outside hitter Matthew Pilch, a Cedarburg, Wis. native, leads the team at 3.30 kills per set, while senior outside hitter Jack Brinkman averages 2.76 kills per set with a team-high 17 aces. Queens ranks fourth in the nation in digs per set (9.79) and 10th in team attacks per set (27.67).
 
Up Next
Loyola will travel to Lebanon, Ill. later in the week in advance of Friday's match at McKendree. The Ramblers recently defeated the Bearcats in four sets on Saturday, Feb. 25, inside Gentile Arena.