LEADING OFF 
No. 8 Loyola Chicago preps for a Top 10 matchup against No. 9 Ball State on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. before hosting No. 19 Purdue Fort Wayne in the 30th Anniversary Celebration match.  

QUICK HITS 

• In his first apperances back on the court, Ryan McElligott tabbed MIVA Offensive Player of the Week after dishing out 67 assists in Loyola's 2-0 week. The senior setter marked a season-high 47 assists and matched his career-high seven blocks in the 3-1 win over then-No. 13 Ohio State (March 1).  
• Loyola served up a team season-high 12 aces against Ohio State, led by redshirt sophomore Tyler Howard.  
• Redshirt sophomore setter Alex Smits Van Oyen ranks first in the MIVA and second in the NCAA with 11.14 assists per set, while senior libero JJ Sowa is second in the conference in digs (2.27/set), placing him 17th in the country.    
• Junior middle Aidan Klein leads the league with a .548 average hitting clip and ranks fourth in blocks/set (1.00), good for 21st in the NCAA.  
• The Ramblers celebrate the program's 30th anniversary on Saturday, March 7, and will honor members of the inaugural 1996 team in between the second and third sets against the Mastodons. 
• Head coach Shane Davis, in his 14th year at Loyola, is one win away from securing 300 program wins (299-96).  

SCOUTING REPORT 
Ball State is 15-2 overall and on a hot 6-1 start in MIVA play under first-year head coach Mike Iandolo, picking up wins over Stanford, George Mason and Lindenwood on the way. The Cardinals' two losses were to the UCLA Bruins and the Ohio State Buckeyes earlier this spring. Senior outside hitter Patrick Rogers is one of 15 members on the AVCA's first-ever Player of the Year Watchlist. He ranks fourth in the league in hitting percentage (.421), kills/set (3.63) and service aces (.44).  

Purdue Fort Wayne is 8-5 so far this season and 3-3 in conference play. The Mastodons picked up ranked wins over (RV) NJIT, No. 20 Charleston and No. 12 McKendree, and took all five of their losses to ranked opponents: No. 12 CSUN, No. 13 Lindenwood, No. 13 Ohio State and No. 10 Ball State. Logan Muir leads the MIVA in points/set (5.09), kills/set (4.24) and aces/set (0.59). He also ranks third in hitting percentage (.362) while Hunter Hopkins is eighth in the nation in assists/set (10.25), third in MIVA play (10.20). 

SERIES HISTORY  
Both series date back to Loyola's first season ever in 1996, and the Ramblers hold the advantage in each, leading the Cardinals 41-26 and the Mastodons 45-24. Loyola swept both teams in last season's meetings.  

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