LEADING OFF 
No. 6 Loyola Chicago (10-0, 2-0 MIVA) continues its Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) slate at Quincy on Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. followed by a match at No. 18 McKendree on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.  

QUICK HITS 

• The Ramblers moved up one spot to No. 6 (prev. No. 7) in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Collegiate poll, announced by the league on Monday afternoon, after securing their first two conference wins. Loyola swept McKendree, 3-0, on Thursday, Feb. 6, followed by a 3-1 ranked road win over then-No. 14 Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 8.  
• Senior outside hitter Parker Van Buren raked in the AVCA National Player of the Week honor as well as the MIVA Offensive Player of the Week after powering Loyola to two more victories and an undefeated 10-0 overall ledger. It marked the second national weekly accolade of his career and his 14th overall conference weekly award.  
• Van Buren ranks fifth in the nation in aces/set (.632), seventh in kills/set (4.13) and ninth in hitting percentage (.429) while Ryan McElligott leads the country and the league in assists/set with 11.07.  
• In the league's statistics, the Ramblers lead in six categories: points/set (18.03), hitting percentage (.364), service aces/set (2.26), opponent assists/set (10.37), opponent kills (10.71) and opponent service aces/set (0.79). Nationally, Loyola ranks third in aces/set, third in assists/set (12.34), fourth in hitting percentage and fifth in kills/set (13.32).  
• Loyola's 10-0 start to the season is its best since the team went 14-0 in 2015. Head coach Shane Davis remains the winningest coach in program history with an overall 274-88 record.    

SCOUTING REPORT 
Quincy, currently 6-5 on the season, is looking to bounce back from a 3-0 sweep by Queens in North Carolina last week. The Hawks defeated the Lions, 3-1, in the first matchup, but couldn't get it done on the second day. Quincy has swept four of their six wins so far this year. Quincy leads the MIVA in blocks with six Hawks already recording double digit blocks this year. Relja Milosavljevic is the MIVA leader in blocks/set (1.31) while outside hitter Barnabas Fenyvesi is leading the squad with 103 kills (3.03/set). Additionally, Aleksandar Sosa is first on the team in points (123) and service aces (18). 

McKendree is 4-5 overall this season after its first MIVA victory, a 3-1 win over then-No. 12 Lewis (Feb. 8). Senior outside hitter Kevin Schuele is leading the way for McKendree with 97 kills and counting. Additionally, sophomore setter Nate Flyer has already posted an impressive 316 assists this season. His 10.19 assists/set ranks him fourth in the MIVA, while senior middle blocker D'Aaron McCraney is the league's leader in hitting percentage (.505). McKendree's 316 digs (10.19/set) is the highest within the MIVA. 
 
SERIES HISTORY 
The Ramblers lead the Hawks, 43-1, in the all-time series with their only loss coming in 2011. Most recently, Loyola bested Quincy in both matches last season, a 3-1 victory inside Gentile Arena, followed by a 3-0 sweep on the road. The Ramblers will battle the Hawks at home one more time in the regular season.  

Loyola leads the all-time series history with McKendree, 20-4, since the two programs first met in February 2014. Most recently on Feb. 6, 2025, the Ramblers bested the Bearcats, 3-0, to give them their fifth loss of the season. McKendree will look for revenge in the rematch while Loyola aims to come out on top once again.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 
Stream both matches on GLVC Sports Network. Follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.