LEADING OFF 
After a five-set thriller against No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 7 Loyola Chicago (7-0, 0-0 MVIA) heads south to take on No. 15 UC San Diego (7-1, 0-0 MPSF) in Triton territory on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 1:30 p.m. CT. 

QUICK HITS  

• Loyola extended its undefeated start to the season, to 7-0, after securing a gritty five-set victory over No. 10 Pepperdine (25-15, 25-23, 19-25, 29-31, 15-12) on Thursday, Jan. 30. It matches the Ramblers' best season start since 2023.  
• Against Pepperdine, Loyola hit .438 as a team and held the Wave to .262. The Ramblers out blocked the Wave, 11-6, led by Nicodemus Meyer who had three block assists and two solo blocks.  
• Parker Van Buren and Daniel Fabikovic mirrored each other with a team-high 19 kills apiece on 37 swings; Van Buren was hitting .459 while Fabikovic hit .324 against the Wave. 
• Loyola is ranked second in the country in service aces per set (2.38), just one spot in front of UC San Diego which averages 2.35 aces per set. The Ramblers are also fourth in hitting percentage (.383), 10th in kills/set (12.73) and 13th in blocks/set (2.365) -- one spot behind the Tritons.  
• The Ramblers improved to No. 7 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Collegiate poll, announced by the organization on Monday, Jan. 27. 

SCOUTING REPORT  
UC San Diego opened its season on a 6-0 run, collecting two ranked wins over then-No. 20 McKendree (3-0) and then-No. 18 George Mason (3-0). The Tritons faced their first loss against No. 3 UCLA (1-3) in Los Angeles.  

Junior outside hitter Leo Pravednikov leads the Tritons offensively with 74 kills on .340 hitting, averaging 2.85 kills per set. He's also second on the team in service aces with 14. Grad student setter Bryce Dvorak is a double threat at the service line and in orchestrating UC San Diego's offense; the Pepperdine transfer has recorded 21 service aces this season, tying him and Van Buren for fifth in the country in service aces per set (.808), and 240 assists.  

SERIES HISTORY 
Loyola holds the all-time series advantage, 4-1, with every win for the Ramblers resulting in a three-set sweep. Most recently, the Maroon and Gold defeated the Tritons in January 2023 inside Gentile Arena. UC San Diego secured its first win over Loyola in 2020 after a five-set match in La Jolla, Calif. Prior to, Loyola bested UC San Diego in 2019, 2012 and 2005.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 
Stream the match on ESPN+ and follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.