LEADING OFF  
No. 7 Loyola Chicago (13-1, 5-1 MIVA) hosts No. 15 Lewis in a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) battle inside Gentile Arena on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.  

QUICK HITS 

• Loyola improved to 13-1 overall and 5-1 in league play after securing two more MIVA victories, a 3-0 sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne (Feb. 20) and a 3-1 win over Quincy (Feb. 22).  
• Senior outside hitter Parker Van Buren led both matches offensively, combining for 35 kills, and adding 12 digs and seven block assists. Defensively, the Ramblers were anchored by middle blockers Nicodemus Meyer and Will Hatch, who combined for 20 blocks at the net.  
• The Ramblers lead the MIVA in eight categories: points (17.57/set), hitting percentage (.357), assists (12.17/set), kills (13.0/set), service aces (2.00/set), opponent hitting percentage (.208), opponent assists (10.21/set) and opponent kills (10.60/set). Loyola ranks second in blocks (2.57/set) and opponent service aces (0.94/set), and fourth in digs (8.64/set).  
• Individually, Van Buren is the conference leader in kills (4.29/set), service aces (0.53/set) and points (5.22/set) while junior setter Ryan McElligott is No. 1 in assists (10.77/set) and Meyer ranks second in blocks per set, averaging 1.21.  
• As a unit, Loyola ranks third in the country in blocks per set (2.566), fifth in hitting percentage and kills per set, and sixth in aces per set. Individually, Van Buren is third in the nation in kills/set, 10th in service aces and 11th in hitting percentage while McElligott is fifth in assists/set.  
• Head coach Shane Davis remains the winningest coach in program history with a 277-89 ledger and a .757 winning percentage.  

SCOUTING REPORT 
Lewis, 11-4 overall on the season and 4-2 in MIVA play, opened its season with four straight sweeps, including a ranked win over then-No. 8 Penn State. The Flyers only losses this season were to then-No. 2 Long Beach State (1-3), Pepperdine (0-3), McKendree (1-3) and Ball State (1-3). As a team, Lewis ranks third in the league in points (16.05/set), hitting percentage (.319), service aces (1.52) and digs (9.41/set).  

Offensively, the Flyers are led by Max Roquet with 200 kills, averaging 3.64 per set, and instrumented by assist-leader Tyler Morgan who averages 10.27 per set, ranking him second in the league. At the net, Frederick Krueger-Beer leads with 38.0 total blocks (0.69/set) and Nico Paula anchors the back row with 150 digs, averaging 2.68 per set.  

SERIES HISTORY 
The Ramblers hold the all-time series advantage, 41-29, over the Flyers with the first meeting ever in 1996. Loyola has won the last six meetings against Lewis, dropping just one set in the February 2023 matchup in Romeoville, Ill. The last time Davis, Loyola's head coach, faced the Flyers was in the 2015 national championship match where the Maroon and Gold clinched their second straight title after a five-set thriller against Lewis.  

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