First Serve
No. 13 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball ends the regular season with a three-match homestand, starting with two matches against Queens this weekend. Match one is set for this Thursday (March 28) at 7 p.m.  and match two is slated for Saturday (Match 30) at 2 p.m. inside Gentile Arena. Both matches will stream live to ESPN+ with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Ray Gooden (Commentary) on the call.

Ramblings

• The Ramblers most recently lost in straight sets (24-26, 18-25, 21-25) to No. 18 McKendree on the road. The loss snapped Loyola's seven-match win streak which included three ranked wins. 
• Despite losing, Loyola led in the block department, 13-8, and in digs, 43-39.
• Nicodemus Meyer tied his season-high in blocks with seven, a match-high. JJ Sowa had a match-high 12 digs.
• Prior to the loss, Loyola swept Quincy on the road (25-15, 25-16, 26-16), marking the team's second win over the Hawks in as many weeks.
• First-year MIVA member Queens heads to Chicago for the third time ever. Loyola has met Queens twice prior with both matches being held in Rogers Park.
• Last season, LUC swept Queens (25-20, 25-19, 26-24) on March 7, 2023.
• Colton Brooks posted a match-high 16 kills, Parker Van Buren added nine and Jack Yentz had five to lead the Ramblers.
• Loyola hit .353 overall while limiting Queens to a .222 team hitting percentage.
• Queens enters its two 2024 matchups with Loyola having a 9-15 overall record and a 2-10 mark in league play.
• On a two-match skid, Queens took one set from No. 14 Lewis through two meetings last week on the road. 
• After his stellar week (March 11-16), Loyola's starting setter, Dan Mangun, raked in MIVA Defensive Player of the Week accolades and AVCA National Player of the Week honors Tuesday.
• Mangun led the Maroon and Gold with 115 assists (11.50 p/s). The setter also tallied 23 digs (2.30 p/s) and nine blocks (.90 p/s) on the defensive end.
• Last week, USA Volleyball announced that John Hawks has been selected to pilot the U21 Men's National Team at the 2024 U21 NORCECA Men's Continental Championship this summer.
• The NORCECA Men's Continental Championship, which runs June 9-17 in Nogales, Mexico, serves as a qualifier for the 2025 FIVB World Championship. Hawks' team will begin training June 1-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• The Ramblers currently rank in the top-6 of three NCAA statistical categories: kills per set at 12.82 (No. 6), hitting percentage at .348 (No. 4), and assists per set at 12.11 (No. 6).
• One of the best groups at the net, Loyola has slammed down 204.0 total blocks - the fourth-most in the nation.
• Loyola's .348 hitting percentage paces the MIVA.
• Meyer, who tallied the third most blocks as any sophomore in program history (127), has his sights set on the junior record (129, James Grunst, '09). Currently, he leads the league and is eighth nationally with 1.09 blocks per set. He's racked up 87.0 thus far.
• Van Buren sits No. 2 in the MIVA's kills per set rankings and seventh nationally as he slams down an average of 3.95 kills per set.
• 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's second home match of 2024 was against defending national champions, UCLA, Jan. 13. The recorded attendance of 3,334 was a program record at Gentile Arena for a regular-season match.

Notes

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.