LEADING OFF
No. 7 Loyola Chicago kicks off Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) competition at No. 18 Lindenwood on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. then at No. 13 McKendree on Friday, Feb. 6 at 5 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- Last weekend the Ramblers went 2-0 with a sweep of the Manhattan Jaspers (Jan. 30) followed by a 3-1 victory over then-No. 11 UC San Diego (Jan. 31).
- Outside hitter Josh Schellinger earned the MIVA Offensive Player of the Week after putting up 35.5 points in the weekend and averaging .472 hitting. The former Triton recorded a season-high 19 kills against UCSD and hit .591 vs. Manhattan.
- Middle blocker Aidan Klein also had himself a weekend; he totaled eight blocks and set career highs with four aces in each match and 12 kills against UCSD.
- 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 294-95 (.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
Lindenwood is off to one of its best starts to the season ever with a 6-1 record so far. The Lions opened their season with a straight-set loss at then-No. 3 Long Beach (Jan. 9) but haven't dropped a match since. The squad secured a huge upset over then-No. 12 CSUN (Jan. 16), earning senior setter Zach Soloman a MIVA Offensive POTW honor, and are on a six-match winning streak heading into Wednesday's matchup. Lindenwood leads the conference in service aces, averaging 2.58/set, and holds its opponents to a league-high .187 hitting clip average.
McKendree is currently 5-3, highlighted by back-to-back wins over then-No. 10 Penn State (Jan. 23/24). The Bearcats are coming off a 3-1 win over Rockhurst (Jan. 31) after falling 3-1 to Missouri S&T at home. Outside hitter Sam Hoskin leads the team with 3.43 kills/set while setter Nathan Flayter paces the conference behind 11.18 assists. Two-time MIVA Defensive POTW Tyler Tripp averages 2.08 digs/set and 3.58 points/set. McKendree closes out its six-match homestand against No. 11 Lewis (Feb. 4) and No. 7 Loyola (Feb. 6).
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola holds the series advantage with both Lindenwood (32-4) and McKendree (20-5). The Ramblers most recently met the Lions last season in a two-match series at Gentile Arena; Loyola won both in straight sets. In 2024, Lindenwood defeated Loyola 3-1 on its home court. The Ramblers and Bearcats traded wins in 2025, meeting for the first time early in the season, resulting in a 3-0 sweep for Loyola at home. Two weeks later McKendree won a tightly contested five-set match.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the Lindenwood matchup on ESPN+ and watch the McKendree match on GLVC Sports Network. Follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.
