CHICAGO – Loyola University Chicago head men's volleyball coach
John Hawks was named the MIVA Coach of the Year, and a league-leading six Ramblers were named to All-League teams, as the conference office announced its postseason award winners Thursday (April 13) afternoon.
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Hawks becomes the first Loyola coach to win the award in their first season at the helm of the program, while Thursday's award marks the seventh time in Loyola history that a coach has been named MIVA Coach of the Year. It is Loyola's first Coach of the Year award since 2018, and Hawks is the fourth different Rambler head coach to win the award.
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In addition to the Coach of the Year honor, the Ramblers were well represented across the All-League teams, as a league-high six players picked up First or Second Team accolades. Loyola had three players selected First Team with another three tabbed to the Second Team, the only team in the conference to have three or more players named on either team.
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Parker Van Buren, who fell just shy of being selected as the MIVA Player of the Year, picks up his second All-MIVA First Team honor in as many seasons after ranking second in the conference and fifth nationally with 4.12 kills per set. Van Buren's 4.93 points per set are the fourth highest in the country while his .464 aces per set are the second-most in the conference.
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Cole Schlothauer becomes a four-time All-MIVA First Team honoree following a standout redshirt senior season. Schlothauer etched his name into the Loyola record books on April 1 when he notched his 1,000
th career kill in a win over Quincy. The outside hitter currently ranks second on the team in every major offensive statistical category and third in digs per set and service aces.
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Dan Mangun picks up his first career All-MIVA honor with First Team recognition. Stepping into the starting setter role this year, Mangun has excelled. The redshirt sophomore ranks fourth nationall and leads the league with 10.34 assists per set while also ranking third on the team with .745 blocks per set. Controlling the offense, Mangun has put his attackers in a position to hit at a .314 hitting percentage, second-best in the conference.
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Loyola's two middle blockers and starting libero were all named All-MIVA Second Team, with
Nicodemus Meyer,
Jimmy Meinhart and
Matt Oakley all being selected. For all three, Thursday's award marks the first All-League honor of their careers.
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Meyer has become one of the top blockers in the entire country, ranking fourth nationally and first in the MIVA with 1.276 blocks per set. As a result of his presence at the net, the Ramblers lead the league and rank fourth in the country with 2.65 blocks per set as a team.
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Meinhart has been the other key factor in Loyola's blocking prowess, ranking third in the league and 14
th nationally with 1.03 blocks per set. The middle blocker has been a key piece in Loyola's defense allowing opposing teams to hit at a .224 hitting percentage, the lowest in the conference.
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Oakley has anchored the back line of the Rambler defense all season, ranking second in the league with 1.83 digs per set. His 179 digs are tops on the team while and, despite being the most served target on the team, has had a 94.2% reception rate on serve receive this season.
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Loyola, who claimed a share of the MIVA regular season title, the program's first since 2018, opens postseason play as the No. 2 seed in the MIVA Tournament on Saturday, April 15 against seventh-seeded McKendree. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside Gentile Arena.
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