CHICAGO (April 14, 2023) – The 12^th-ranked Loyola men's volleyball team turns its sights to the postseason Saturday evening, as the second-seeded Ramblers will play host to seventh-seeded McKendree in the quarterfinals of the 2023 MIVA Tournament. First serve inside Gentile Arena is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Loyola earned a share of the MIVA regular season title, the program's first since 2018, sharing the honors with Ball State and Ohio State. By virtue of tiebreakers, the Cardinals are the No. 1 seed while the Buckeyes are the No. 3 team in the field.
 
The Ramblers are currently a perfect 14-0 inside Gentile Arena this year, the fifth-longest home winning streak in program history. There has been one undefeated home season in program history, with the 2010 squad finishing the year with a perfect 16-0 record inside Gentile Arena.
 
Loyola in the National Rankings
Blocks per set – 4^th (2.650)
Assists per set – 5^th (11.94)
Kills per set – 6^th (12.60)
Aces per set – 11^th (1.64)
Hitting percentage – 11^th (.314)
Opponent hitting percentage – 14^th (.224)
 
Individuals in the National Rankings
Points per set
Parker Van Buren – 4^th (4.93)
Cole Schlothauer – 33^rd (3.97)
 
Assists per set
Dan Mangun – 4^th (10.34)
 
Blocks per set
Nicodemus Meyer – 4^th (1.276)
Jimmy Meinhart – 13^th (1.030)
 
Kills per set
Parker Van Buren – 5^th (4.12)
Cole Schlothauer – 33^rd (3.41)
 
Ramblers Rake in Awards
John Hawks was named the 2023 MIVA Coach of the Year while six Ramblers garnered All-League honors. Hawks becomes the fourth coach in program history to earn the award, and first to do so in their first season at the helm of the Ramblers. Three Ramblers, Parker Van Buren, Cole Schlothauer and Dan Mangun, were named All-MIVA First Team while Nicodemus Meyer, Jimmy Meinhart and Matt Oakley were selected as All-MIVA Second Team. The six selections were the most of any school in the conference while Loyola was the only team to have at least three members named to either the First Team or Second Team.
 
Series Stuff
Loyola is 17-2 all-time against McKendree, including a season sweep of Bearcats earlier this season. The Ramblers picked up a 3-1 victory at home on Feb. 25 before erasing a 2-0 deficit to come back and pick up the 3-2 road win over the Bearcats on March 10.
 
Up Next
With a win, the Ramblers would advance to the semifinals of the MIVA Tournament and would take on the winner of No. 3 Ohio State/No. 6 Lindenwood. The match would be played on Wednesday, April 19 inside Gentile Arena.