LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago is looking for its first win of the season as the team road trips to Stephen F. Austin for another nonconference tournament on Thursday, Sept. 4 and Friday, Sept. 3. The Ramblers will face the Cal Golden Bears in addition to the host team.
QUICK HITS
- Loyola went 0-3 in its opening weekend at the Cyclone Invitational. The Ramblers fell in five sets to the UNI Panthers (Aug. 29) and managed to take a set off the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (Aug. 30).
- Sophomore outside Leyna Nguyen led Loyola offensively with 32 total kills and one double-double throughout the weekend, earning her All-Tournament Team. She added 22 digs and six blocks to help the defense.
- Senior middle Avary DeBlieck totaled 16 blocks at the Cyclone Invitational, placing her fourth in Atlantic 10. She posted seven against both UNI and Georgia Tech.
- Four Ramblers made their debut for the Maroon and Gold last weekend: junior transfers Mya Ball and Mallory Bohl, sophomore transfer Katie Scherer and rookie Anna Jirmasek.
- Loyola returned nine letterwinners and added seven new faces, including three freshmen (Tenley Davis, Camryn Hughes, Jirmasek) and four transfers (Ball, Bohl, Morgan Jones, Scherer).
- Amanada Berkley enters her ninth season at the helm of the program, holding a 153-96 (.614) record.
- The reigning conference champions were picked to finish second in the A10 Preseason Poll, receiving two first place votes.
SCOUTING REPORT
The reigning Southland Conference (SLC) tournament and regular season champions went 1-2 after opening weekend, falling to Idaho State and Wichita State before defeating Missouri State in five sets for the Ladyjacks' first win of the season. Senior outside Caroline Kahle racked up 29 kills and 43 digs at the Shocker Volleyball Classic, earning her an All-Tournament Team nod at the Shocker Volleyball Classic. SFA tops the SLC Preseason Poll, receiving eight first place votes.
Cal went 2-1 in their home tournament last weekend, defeating Pacific and UC San Diego before falling to St. Mary's in five sets. Rookie Abby Zimmerman leads the Bears with 38 kills while her freshman counterpart Anna Flores paces the offense with 114 assists so far. Fifth-year Cari Bohm tied a program record for most blocks in a single match with 13 in the five-set thriller against Saint Mary's; she leads the team with 15 blocks. Cal landed 13th in the 15-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Preseason Poll.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Ramblers and Ladyjacks meet for the third time in program history; last season, Loyola bested SFA in five sets in the Ramblers' home tournament.
- It marks the second-ever meeting between Loyola and Cal, who most recently met in 2017 when the Golden Bears defeated the Ramblers after four sets.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Only the matches against the host team will be streamed. Follow @RamblersWVB on Instagram and X for in-game updates.
