High Hopes for Loyola’s 2024 Volleyballers
Men’s Volleyball kicks off Wed., Jan 3, when Loyola faces last year’s National Runner-Up Hawaii, in the 10,000-seat Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu. If you haven’t seen Hawaii Men’s Volleyball home games, you’re in for a treat—it’s going to be packed, and there will be sights and scenes and local traditions that make Hawaii men’s volleyball a distinctive experience. The Ramblers will play two matches, Wednesday and Friday, and you can watch both matches on ESPN +.
Loyola, picked to finish second in the 2024 MIVA preseason poll, is coming off a 2023 season that exceeded expectations. First-year Head Coach John Hawks was named MIVA Coach of the Year as the Ramblers went 21-7 and claimed a share of the MIVA regular season title. As a 2 seed in the MIVA Tournament, the Ramblers dropped their first-round match against #7 Lindenwood, ending the season with a three-match losing streak.
Ohio State is picked as the favorite in the MIVA (with all the first-place votes) ahead of Loyola, Ball State, and Lewis. IPFW was picked fifth, followed by Lindenwood, McKendree, and Quincy. Queens University of Charlotte, N.C. joins the MIVA this season as the 9th team in the conference, and were picked to come in last in their first season.
Loyola’s Parker Van Buren and Nicodemus Meyer, two talented juniors, were picked for the all-MIVA first team. Ohio State had four members on the all-conference team, including Jacob Pasteur, the Preseason Player of the Year.
Loyola’s schedule is really challenging this season, beginning with the trip to Hawaii for the televised matches happening at Midnight Chicago time on Wednesday, and again at Midnight on Friday. Coming back to the mainland, the Ramblers stop off in Northern California for matches with Stanford at 7 p.m. on Sunday, January 7, and again at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 8.
The home opener happens on Thursday, Jan. 11 with BYU in a match televised on NBC Sports Chicago Plus. Two days later, defending National Champion UCLA visits Gentile Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. MIVA Conference play begins Feb. 1 in Muncie, Ind.
