LEADING OFF 
No. 7 Loyola Chicago readies for a two-match Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) road trip beginning at No. 18 Ohio State on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. and ending at Northern Kentucky on Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m.  

QUICK HITS 

• Junior middle Aidan Klein was selected as the MIVA Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on March 16 after totaling nine blocks and six service aces in Loyola's back-to-back sweeps against Queens. Klein also had seven kills in each match, hitting above .650 in both.  
• Klein paces the league with a .527 average hitting clip, good for second in the country. He ranks third in the MIVA with .98 blocks per set.  
• Senior libero JJ Sowa averages 2.25 digs per set, placing him second in the league and 18th in the NCAA. He racked up 17 in the dual sweep of Queens.  
• As a unit, the Ramblers rank second in the MIVA in points per set (17.01), hitting percentage (.326) and assists (12.1). Nationally, Loyola is fourth in assists and kills per set, ninth in hitting percentage and 11th in aces per set (1.69).  
• Head coach Shane Davis surpassed 300 career wins earlier this season after a sweep against Ball State (March 5).  
• Men's volleyball celebrates its 30th anniversary this season after Loyola added the program in 1996. The team is home to two of the university's three national championships and has never had a losing season.  

SCOUTING REPORT 
The Buckeyes are 10-9 overall and 5-6 in MIVA play. Ohio State snapped a five-match losing streak with a straight-set win at Purdue Fort Wayne last week. The Buckeyes hit .509 against the Mastodons with every attacker hitting above .440. Senior attacker Shane Wetzel paces Ohio State with 3.42 kills per set on, placing him third in the league. Meanwhile, junior middle Eliel Salva-Torres leads the team with a .512 hitting clip and 1.16 blocks per set, good for first in the MIVA and seventh in the country. 

Northern Kentucky is 3-12 overall and still hunting for its first MIVA victory. Junior outside hitter Griffin Wheatley leads the Norses' attack, averaging 3.03 points per set and 2.67 kills per set. Freshman setter Nick Whitely facilitates the offense with 5.45 assists per set while leading the team with nine total service aces. Defensively, the Norses are led by sophomore middle Adam Blair with .68 blocks per set.  

SERIES HISTORY 
Ohio State holds the all-time series record with Loyola, 44-35, in a matchup that dates back to 1996. Earlier this season, the Ramblers bested the Buckeyes 3-1 in Chicago.  

Loyola and Northern Kentucky meet for the second time ever after facing each other earlier this year, where the Ramblers walked away with a 3-0 sweep.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 
Stream the Ohio State match on Big Ten Plus and the Northern Kentucky match on YouTube. Follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.