CHICAGO – Four Ramblers of the No. 12 Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team earned All-MIVA honors, the league's office announced Thursday. Parker Van Buren was named the MIVA Player of the Year and Daniel Fabikovic was tabbed the MIVA Newcomer of the Year. The pair also raked in All-MIVA First Team accolades. Meanwhile, Dan Mangun and Nicodemus Meyer landed on the All-MIVA Second Team.

The last time Loyola Chicago garnered both the MIVA Player and Newcomer of the Year was in 2013 when Thomas Jaeschke (Newcomer) and Joe Smalzer (Player) swept the honors.

Van Buren, the first Rambler to earn the MIVA's Player of the Year plaudit since Jaeschke in 2015, has had an exceptional 2024 season thus far. The Cross Plains, Wis. native earns his third-straight First Team All-MIVA accolade after holding a .352 hitting percentage, the 11^th best clip in the nation. Likewise, Van Buren averages 4.11 kills per set, the sixth-best mark in the country. He's ended 19 matches in double figure kills, including a streak of nine-consecutive matches in double digits from Jan. 26 – Feb. 24. Van Buren posted one double-double this season, gathering 19 kills and 12 digs at No. 15 Ball State on Feb. 1. He's led Loyola in the kills category in 20 of LUC's 27 matches so far. This season, he was a three-time MIVA Offensive Player of the Week.

Fabikovic is Loyola's first MIVA Newcomer of the Year since Van Buren was awarded the honor in 2022. A native of Břeclav, Czech Republic, Fabikovic has proven himself not only as the MIVA's best newcomer, but one of the league's best hitters. The freshman's .345 hitting percentage ranks fourth in the league and is the highest of any first year in the conference. Meanwhile, he averages 2.94 kills per set, the second-most on the team and 14^th-most in the league. One of his best performances of the season came on Jan. 11 against BYU. In just his fifth collegiate match, Fabikovic slammed down a career-high 19 kills on 37 swings for a .432 hitting percentage. He's also targeted nine digs on two separate occasions and posted eight blocks vs. No. 15 Princeton.

Mangun, who brings home his second-straight All-MIVA honor, has had a strong final season with the Ramblers despite battling an injury earlier in the year. As the starting setter, Mangun's been the driving force behind Loyola's .353 team hitting percentage, the third-best clip in the nation. Averaging a team-best 9.98 assists per set, Mangun has consistently set perfect balls for his teammates to locate. In just 15 matches, he's totaled 439 assists, 10 aces, and 25 blocks. He was named both the MIVA Defensive Player of the week and the AVCA National Player of the Week on March 19 after leading the Maroon and Gold to three wins, including two ranked wins over No. 15 Princeton and No. 20 McKendree, with 115 assists (11.50 p/s). He also tallied 23 digs (2.30 p/s) on the defensive end.

Loyola's six-foot-10 middle blocker, Meyer, circles back to the All-MIVA Second Team after leading the team in hitting percentage (.497) with 109 kills on 195 swings. With the fifth-most blocks in the nation (98) and the seventh-best blocks per set average (1.10) – which also paces the MIVA - Meyer has been a force at the net for the Ramblers. In 2024, Meyer has posted seven blocks four times, including one of his best matches of the season against No. 15 Princeton. In the win, Meyer garnered a career high six digs while posting a season high seven blocks and eight kills. In the Franklin, Wis. native's 26 matches played this year, he's had at least one block in all but two matches.  

No. 2 seed Loyola Chicago is nest in action when it hosts No. 7 (18) McKendree at Gentile Arena for the MIVA Quarterfinal round this Saturday, April 13. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.