First Serve
No. 13 Loyola Chicago plays its fourth straight and ninth ranked match thus far in the season this Friday (Feb. 9) as the squad hosts No. 6 Ohio State inside Gentile Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago+ and ESPN+ with Peter Ferreri (PXP) and Ray Gooden (Commentary) calling the action.

• Loyola carries momentum into Friday as it most recently downed Purdue Fort Wayne in straight sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-16) this past Tuesday (Feb. 6) on the road for its first league win of the year.
• Jake Read slammed down 16 kills and Daniel Fabikovic targeted nine digs in the triumph - both career-highs for the freshmen.
• Loyola ended the night hitting .449 – its third highest percentage of the season thus far - while the squad racked up 43 kills on 78 swings.
• Other Ramblers getting in on the fun were Parker Van Buren who tallied 10 kills, marking his fourth straight match in double digit kills. Starting setter Cole Schobel assisted on 38 kills and added an ace while Jimmy Meinhart's two blocks tied the match-high.
• Ohio State enters the contest also fresh off its first MIVA win of the season after beating Lindenwood in four sets (30-32, 25-20, 25-17, 25-18). The Buckeyes were led by four in double figure kills: Daniel Hurley (12), Cole Young (11), Jacob Pasteur (10) and Ben Putnam (10).
• Prior to their win last Sunday (Feb. 4), Ohio State lost back-to-back matchups against No. 9 Penn State.
• Loyola trails in its all-time series with Ohio State, 26-41, but has a 17-12 advantage in matches played in Rogers Park.
• Last season, the pair met twice, splitting their home-and-home series. The 13th-ranked Ramblers beat No. 10 Ohio State in the season's first meeting at Gentile Arena on Feb. 18, 2023. Loyola used momentum gathered from 48 kills and a .355 hitting percentage to win in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-18).
• In the series closer (Loyola's final regular season match), the Buckeyes earned revenge, sweeping the Maroon and Gold (27-29, 26-28, 23-25) on April 8, 2024.
• Notably, the Ramblers and Buckeyes each shared a piece of the 2023 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular season crown last year.
• The Ramblers rank in the top-20 in six of the NCAA's statistical categories (kills per set, hitting percentage, blocks per set, aces per set, assists per set, and team attacks per set).
• LUC ranks third in the MIVA in service aces per set (1.81), assists per set (11.81), kills per set (12.58), and blocks per set (2.13).
• Loyola's .323 hitting percentage and 16.52 kills per set paces the MIVA.
• Nicodemus 'Deem' Meyer, who tallied the third most blocks as a sophomore in program history (127), has his sights set on the junior record (129, James Grunst, '09). Currently, he leads the league with 1.03 blocks per set, .13 more than Stirling Sims' .09 who ranks second. Nationally, Meyer's 1.03 blocks per set ranks 15th. He's racked up 36.0 thus far.
• Close behind Meyer in the MIVA rankings are teammates Van Buren's .82 blocks per set (fourth) and Jimmy Meinhart's .76 (eighth).
• Van Buren sits No. 3 in the MIVA's kills per set rankings as he slams down an average of 3.94 kills per set.
• Loyola Chicago takes pride in its serve. Jake Read, a freshman, is one of the MIVA's best at the helm as he averages .51 aces per set, ranking fourth best. The team's 1.81 aces per set ranks third in the league and 17th nationally.
• Loyola Chicago's gauntlet of a schedule ranks No. 10 on the NCAA's toughest schedule report, the second toughest in the MIVA behind Queens (No. 8). LUC has faced nine ranked foes up to date with six contests being road matches.
• The Ramblers, who have been a staple in the AVCA/NVA National Collegiate MVB Poll all season, were most recently ranked No. 13 in the latest coaches poll.
• Loyola recently faced off against defending national champions, UCLA, on its home floor. The recorded attendance of 3,334 was a program record at Gentile Arena for a regular-season match.

2023 Was a Fun One
After playing its foes to a 21-7 overall record and an 11-3 mark in conference play, Loyola Chicago earned a share of the 2023 regular season MIVA title, its first time since 2018. The 'Blers saw just one loss on their home floor, compiling a home record of 14-1.

The Best of the Best
The postseason awards poured in for the Ramblers last spring: John Hawks was named the MIVA Coach of the Year, and a league-leading six Ramblers were named to All-League teams. Hawks became the first Loyola coach to win the award in their first season at the helm of the program, while the award marks the seventh time in Loyola history that a coach has been named MIVA Coach of the Year. It was Loyola's first Coach of the Year award since 2018, and Hawks is the fourth different Rambler head coach to win the award. Likewise, Parker Van Buren, who fell just shy of being selected as the MIVA Player of the Year, picked up his second All-MIVA First Team honor in as many seasons after ranking second in the conference and fifth nationally with 4.13 kills per set. Cole Schlothauer became a four-time All-MIVA First Team honoree following a standout redshirt senior season and Dan Mangun picked up his first career All-MIVA honor with First Team recognition. Additionally, 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, the award marked the first All-League honor of their careers.

Revenge Tour
Although the Ramblers saw great successes in 2023, the season was cut shorter than the team would've liked. Loyola Chicago was upset in the first round of the MIVA Tournament by McKendree in five sets at Gentile Arena. Loyola, who entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, had nearly a 100-point advantage in hitting percentage over the seventh-seeded Bearcats (.415/.333) and was +6 in total blocks but was unable to fend off the resilient McKendree squad. The Maroon and Gold aim to make a deeper run in the postseason in 2024.

An Exciting Slate
The two-time NCAA national champions are set to compete in 27 matches, including 15 inside Gentile Arena, this season.  The 'Blers kick off their home slate of action Jan. 11 as they host BYU for a single match. Two days later on Jan. 13, Loyola Chicago will welcome the defending NCAA national champions, UCLA, to Gentile. The six-match homestand continues Jan. 19-27 with matches against Kentucky State (Jan. 19), Merrimack (Jan. 20), Long Island Brooklyn (Jan. 26), and George Mason (Jan. 27). The Ramblers begin MIVA play Feb. 1, facing Ball State to commence league action.

Classroom Ballers
This past July, the AVCA announced that Loyola had earned its sixth United States Marine Corps and American Volleyball Coaches Association's Team Academic Award. The Ramblers were one-of-38 NCAA men's volleyball programs and one-of-four members from the MIVA to take the plaudit. Through the 2022-23 academic year, the Ramblers culminated an impressive, combined team GPA of 3.49. Also, A total of 18 student-athletes earned Academic All-MIVA honors.

The No. 4 Recruiting Class
Joining the group of 17 returners is a strong class of 10 freshmen who will look to make an immediate impact on the 2024 squad. The class, ranked No. 4 in the nation by VolleyballMag.com, features seven newcomers hailing from California, two from Illinois, and one from the Czech Republic. Eight of the 10 student-athletes were tabbed to the 2023 VolleyballMag.com Boys Fab 50, the most selections of any DI-II program. Additionally, Cole Schobel was ranked the top setter in the class of 2023 by VolleyballMag.com and Daniel Fabikovic helped the U18 Czech Republic national team earn a silver medal at the European Championships.

A New Face on Staff
New Loyola assistant Lindsay Brown heads to Rogers Park after spending the 2023 season at Princeton where she served as the program's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. The Tigers advanced to the EIVA Championship finals this past season and finished the year ranked 14th nationally while having five players garner All-EIVA honors. This past fall, Brown served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Boy's U19 National Team at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championship. The team recorded its best placement ever, taking fourth in San Juan, Argentina.

Promoted!
Second-year assistant Ali'i Keohohou was elevated to associate head coaching late August. Prior to his time in Rogers Park, Keohohou was head coach at the University of Mount Olive for four seasons. He was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year in 2021 and led his team to two Conference Carolinas final appearances.

NORCECA Dayz
Instead of joining the team in Italy, Parker Van Buren was hard at work in Anaheim, Calif. training with USA Volleyball in hopes of competing at the 2023 NORCECA Men's Pan American Cup. Van Buren's dream came true as he was tabbed to the travel roster in August. In the team's first match, Van Buren led in the 3-0 win over Puerto Rico with 15 points on 14 kills. Then in the 3-1 win over Chile, Van Buren led for the second-straight match with 21 points, 19 kills and two blocks. His team finished in fifth place after sweeping Colombia.

Cali Boyz
West coast volleyball is alive and well within the Loyola Chicago program. Hawks, who's from Huntington Beach Calif, and Keohohou, who was born in Thousand Oaks, Calif., join 11 of Loyola's 27 student-athletes who hail from the west coast (California). 13 are from Illinois.

Ciao, 'Blers!
The Ramblers enjoyed a 10-day excursion in Italy this summer. The tour, which spanned Aug. 6-16, provided an opportunity for the student-athletes to witness a different culture, learn new perspectives, and visit awe-inspiring localities. In addition to seeing the beautiful sites the country has to offer, throughout the trip, Loyola competed against local clubs in three separate matches.

Meyer Rising
Nicodemus Meyer was selected to the U21 Junior National Training Team in May. In his first season as a starter in Rogers Park, Meyer made an immediate impact for the Ramblers. Meyer finished the season third nationally with 1.23 blocks per set. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker averaged 1.40 kills per set out of the middle while registering the highest hitting percentage (.467) on the team among Loyola's starters. Meyer's 20 solo blocks, 107 block assists, and 127 total blocks all rank third for any sophomore at Loyola. 

AVCA All-Americans
Behind Second Team All-American Parker Van Buren, a trio of Ramblers earned AVCA All-American honors last season. Van Buren became the first Loyola men's volleyball player to earn Second Team honors since 2019, while Cole Schlothauer and Dan Mangun earned Honorable Mention accolades.

Preseason Nods
Getting in on the preseason hype was Parker Van Buren and Nicodemus Meyer who were named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team. It was Van Buren's second-straight year being named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team while Meyer earned the honor for the first time. Additionally, Van Buren was tabbed a Preseason First Team All-American by Off the Block.

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Tickets for Loyola Chicago's home matches are on sale now! Adult tickets are priced at $10. Youth (ages 4-14) and faculty/staff tickets are available for $7. Groups can purchase tickets at a reduced rate. These group tickets need to be purchased in advance. You can arrange your group outing by calling 773-508-WOLF. Click here to purchase.