CHICAGO – No. 8 Loyola Chicago men's volleyball continued their impressive start to the 2025 season with a 3-1 win over Rockhurst on Saturday, Jan.18 inside Gentile Arena. The Ramblers improved to 4-0 overall and remain undefeated at home.  

"Rockhurst did a great job on the way they started that match. They were passing and serving well, and digging a lot of balls and it put us in a lot of tough situations. I'm happy with the way our team was able to regroup and make some adjustments and finish off the weekend with a win," said head coach Shane Davis.  

How It Happened 
Set One: Loyola dropped the first set, 17-25, against a sharp Rockhurst attack that saw 11 kills and four blocks. Lucas Tran led the Hawks with five kills and Nathan Jacques orchestrated the offense with eight assists. After back-to-back service errors, Shay Spadaro served for the set point, which was mishit by senior middle blocker Nicodemus Meyer, giving the Hawks the first set advantage.  

Set Two: The Ramblers locked in for the second set, rallying with a balanced offense and relentless defense. Daniel Fabikovic led the set with five kills, and he added two block assists, while Brad Bell and Meyer anchored the defense with three block assists apiece. Redshirt freshman Alex Smits Van Oyen instrumented the offense, dishing out eight assists. Loyola held Rockhurst to a -.091 hitting percentage and snagged the second set, 25-18. 

Set Three: Loyola's dominance prevailed in the third set, with the team hitting .593 and limiting Rockhurst to .308. Van Buren led the set with six kills and added a service ace while Jake Read recorded three kills and two service aces. JJ Sowa kept the rallies alive with four digs and one assist. The Ramblers took the third set, 25-13.  

Set Four: The fourth and final set was all Ramblers with 14 kills on .560 hitting, four service aces and 12 assists. Smits Van Oyen recorded his first career kill off an assist from Fabikovic, who added two kills and two service aces. The sophomore sensation capped the deciding set, 26-16, with a kill assisted by Smits Van Oyen.  

Inside the Box Score 

• The Ramblers recorded 12 service aces against the Hawks.  
• Sowa marked a season-high 11 digs and Smits Van Oyen recorded a season and career-high 41 assists.  
• Van Buren hit a match-high 18 kills against Rockhurst.  
• Davis is now 268-88 (.753) in the Maroon and Gold.  

Up Next 
Loyola wraps up its six-match homestand next weekend against Missouri S&T on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. and Mount Olive on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m.