LEADING OFF 
No. 7 Loyola Chicago continues its four-match homestand against Manhattan on Friday, Jan. 30 and No. 11 UC San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 31. Both matches are at 7 p.m.  

QUICK HITS 

• Last weekend, the Ramblers went 1-1 in their home-opening weekend, falling 3-0 to No. 6 Pepperdine (Jan. 23) before defeating former conference foe Quincy (Jan. 24) in straight sets.  
• Josh Schellinger saw his first minutes of the season against Pepperdine, recording Loyola's sole ace and contributing five kills and four digs. The Ramblers' attack was helped by 36 assists from Alex Smits Van Oyen, who posted a career-high four blocks.  
• In Saturday night's sweep, the Ramblers totaled a team season-high 10 service aces, led by Lukas Anderson's career-high three aces. Rookie Oskar Berg Mikkelsen set a career-high in blocks (2), kills (2) and service aces (1).  
• 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 292-95 (.755) 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 
In its first year as a NCAA National Collegiate men's volleyball team, the Jaspers are 2-3 so far. In its most recent matchup, Manhattan fell in a five-set thriller to Sacred Heart (Jan. 24). Earlier this season, the Jaspers picked up their first two victories with back-to-back sweeps over Roosevelt (Jan. 23) and Harvard (Jan. 17). Sophomore outside is the kills leader (57 total, 3.17/set) while freshman Drew Blonksi dishes out 9.56 assists per set. Blonksi also leads in digs (38 total and 2.11/set) while Kai Patchell leads the charge in blocks (19.0, 15 BA and four solos). Head coach Chris Schortgen in his first season after three seasons at Hunter.  

UC San Diego is also off to a 3-3 start to the season. The Tritons were most recently swept on their home court by No. 1 UCLA (Jan. 23). The MPSF school competes at No. 9 Lewis on Friday, Jan. 30 before coming to Chicago. Junior outside Sebastiano Sani leads the team with 67 kills, averaging 3.19 per set on .312 hitting, while junior setter facilitates the offense behind 8.13 assists per set. Defensively, Leo Wiemelt, a native of La Grange, Ill., is the blocks leader (15.0 total, 1.25/set), and Keegan Cook paces the team with 27 total digs and a perfect reception percentage. Head coach Brad Rostratter is in his fourth season with the program and carries a 41-47 record.  

SERIES HISTORY 
Friday's match marks the first in the all-time series with Manhattan. Loyola leads UC San Diego 5-1 in the all-time series. Last season, the Ramblers bested the Tritons 3-2 in La Jolla, Calif. The two previous meetings between the two programs in Gentile Arena have both been sweeps for Loyola.  

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.