LEADING OFF
In the home opening weekend at Gentile Arena, No. 7 Loyola Chicago hosts No. 6 Pepperdine on Friday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. and Quincy on Saturday, Jan. 24 also at 6 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- Last week at the First Point Collegiate Challenge in Phoenix, Ariz., Loyola Chicago went 1-1 after taking down No. 14 Stanford (Jan. 17) in a 3-2 marathon match before falling to No. 1 UCLA (Jan. 18) in straight sets.
- Against the Cardinals, the Ramblers were led by Aleksandar Sosa and Daniel Fabikovic, who each reached 20+ kills on over .400 hitting. Sosa had the match-high 26 kills on .447 hitting and Fabikovic was second with 21, hitting .474.
- In the nationally televised match vs. UCLA, Sosa totaled six service aces – the most in any match throughout the tournament.
- Loyola out-blocked Stanford 9-1, steered by Aidan Klein who posted a career-high seven blocks. The junior middle blocker also had the team-high two service aces.
- Setter Alex Smits Van Oyen recorded a career-high 54 assists and led the team with 10 digs.
- The Ramblers returned 15 student-athletes and welcomed five new faces, including three true freshmen and two transfers. Junior Aleksandar Sosa joined Loyola after two seasons at Quincy and fifth-year Josh Schellinger was previously at UC San Diego.
- Head coach Shane Davis enters his 14th year at Loyola, sporting a 291-94 (.756) career record. Last season, the Loyola alum led the Ramblers to a 25-4 ledger, their fourth MIVA Tournament title and fourth NCAA Tournament berth.
- 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Loyola's men's volleyball program, which is home to two of the university's three NCAA national championship titles.
SCOUTING REPORT
Pepperdine took its first loss of the season in a 3-1 defeat to No. 5 UC Irvine (Jan. 16) after securing two straight sweeps to open 2026. Sophomore Cole Hartke leads The Wave with 32 total kills on .324 hitting while junior Andrej Polomac facilitates the offense behind 93 assists so far. Defensively, rookie Noe Matthey drives Pepperdine at the net with 14.0 blocks. The 6-foot-7 Switzerland national has had at least four total blocks through the first three matches. Head coach Jonathan Winder entered his fourth season at the helm of the program.
Quincy is off to a 0-1 start so far this season after falling 3-0 to No. 19 Lindenwood (Jan. 21) in the season opener. The Hawks take on the Lewis Flyers before meeting the Ramblers in Chicago. Quincy is a young team this season with five freshmen and seven sophomores. Head coach Omar Sanchez is in his second season with the Hawks.
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola and Pepperdine's all-time series is tied up 3-3. The two teams most recently met in last season's NCAA Tournament, where the Wave knocked out the Ramblers, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. During the 2025 regular season, Loyola defeated Pepperdine in a five-set thriller in Malibu, Calif.
In a series dating back to the Ramblers' inaugural season in 1996, the Ramblers hold the all-time record with the Hawks 62-4. Last time Loyola lost to its former conference foe was in 2011, a five-set loss on the road.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Watch both matches on Marquee Sports Network. Both matches are available to stream on ESPN+. Follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.
