April 23, 2008

Loyola-Ohio State Game Notes in PDF Format

#4 Loyola (17-13) at #1 Ohio State (18-7)
Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 7:30 p.m. Eastern
St. John Arena - Columbus, Ohio

Tonight's Match
The No. 4 seed Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team heads to Columbus, Ohio to face top-seeded Ohio State in the MIVA semifinals tonight (April 24). This marks the eighth straight year the Ramblers have appeared in the MIVA semifinals. Loyola is 5-4 in MIVA semifinal action, with their last win coming at the expense of the Buckeyes in 2006. The Ramblers defeated No. 5 seed IPFW, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round last weekend, while the Buckeyes received a bye into the semifinal round after capturing the regular-season title.

Loyola - Ohio State: The Series
The Ramblers and the Buckeyes meet for the sixth time in MIVA Tournament action and Loyola holds a slight advantage, leading the post-season series 3-2. The Buckeyes lead 19-13 in the all-time series. The Ramblers are looking to snap the Buckeyes' six-match winning streak, as Ohio State closed out the regular-season winning 10 of its last 11 decisions. The conference foes squared off twice in the regular-season, with Ohio State coming out victorious in both contests. It has been two years since the two teams last met in the post-season. In 2006, Loyola swept Ohio State in the semifinal round.

About The Buckeyes
No. 9 Ohio State owns an 18-7 overall record and is 11-1 in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action. The Buckeyes are riding a six-match win streak with their last victory coming at the hands of MIVA foe Mercyhurst when they swept the Lakers to close out the regular-season.

The Buckeyes are led by Robbie Klein who averages 3.93 kills, 1.47 digs and 4.64 points per game. Brett Versen contributes 3.70 kills and 4.44 points per game. Setter Daniel Mathews, the 2008 MIVA Player of the Year, owns a 12.21 assists per game average, while Conor Martin leads the team in digs per game with 2.32.

Ohio State is led by the 2008 MIVA Coach of the Year, Pete Hanson.

Head Coach Shane Davis
In his fifth season as the Loyola men's volleyball head coach, Shane Davis has guided the Ramblers to a 106-35 (.752) overall mark. The Denver, Iowa native recorded his 100th career victory on February 23 as Loyola defeated UC San Diego, 3-1, at the Lewis Invitational. Davis has twice been named MIVA Coach of the Year (2005 and 2006). The former Loyola standout led the Ramblers' all-time winningest team to a 26-3 (.897) record en route to capturing its first outright MIVA regular-season title in 2005.

Start Me Up
Loyola has put together a 16-5 (.762) record when it wins game one. In fact, with Shane Davis at the helm, the Ramblers are 88-10 (.898) when winning the first game.

Aces Wild
Senior opposite hitter Ian Anderson has notched a team-high 35 service aces in 30 matches thus far. The Wauwatosa, Wis., native has almost doubled his 2007 season total of 18 and is averaging 0.33 service aces per game, which is good for fifth in the conference.

Helping Hands
Mike Hutz leads the MIVA in assists per game with 12.75. The Whitefish Bay, Wis., native recorded a career-high 77 helpers in the Ramblers' 3-2 victory over IPFW last weekend.

All-MIVA Honors
Senior opposite hitter Ian Anderson earned First Team All-MIVA honors. He ranks second in the conference in points (4.81) and kills per game (4.14). Anderson was joined by teammates Nick Lamoureux and Kris Berzins who garnered Second Team All-MIVA recognition. Lamoureux's .392 hitting percentage is good for ninth in the MIVA, while Berzins' 3.85 points and 3.40 kills per game are good for ninth in their respective categories.

Nick At Nite
Over the last four matches, Nick Lamoureux is hitting .346 (59-23-104) and is averaging 12.5 kills and 2.0 blocks over that span. On March 28, the Wheaton, Ill., native slammed a career-high 23 kills in a five-game loss to then-No. 11 George Mason. Lamoureux has knocked down 10 or more kills in three of Loyola's last four matches. The middle blocker leads the Ramblers with a .392 hitting percentage.

Awesome Anderson
Ian Anderson has been on a tear, racking up double-figure kills in 14 of the Ramblers' last 18 matches. The senior opposite hitter has led the Ramblers in kills in 18 of their 30 matches. In fact, the Wauwatosa, Wis., native has topped the 20-kill plateau seven times, including a career-best, 33-kill performance at Hawai'i on March 7. This week, Anderson added to his already impressive resume as he earned MIVA Player of the Week accolades for his efforts in the Ramblers' victory over IPFW in the MIVA quarterfinals. He registered 21 kills, two digs and five total blocks, while hitting .562 to lead Loyola to a 3-2 victory over the Mastodons.

Double-Double Vision
Five Ramblers have notched at least one double-double this season. Redshirt setter Mike Hutz leads the group as he tallied his seventh double-double of the season when he registered 59 assists and 11 digs in a 3-2 victory over St. Francis (Pa.). Sophomore outside hitter Kris Berzins also notched a double-double in that match, as he recorded 19 kills and a career-high 13 digs for his fourth double-double of the year.

By George, I Think He's Got It
Outside hitter George Kamberos tied a Loyola single-match record on Saturday, March 15 when he notched eight service aces in the Ramblers' 3-0 victory over MIVA foe Mercyhurst. His eight aces ties a record that was set by former Rambler Ryan Martin in 2006.

National Statistics Leaders
Two Ramblers are ranked among the April 21st NCAA Division I-II National Statistics Leaders. Ian Anderson is ranked 17th in both points per game (4.81) and kills per game (4.14) and redshirt freshman setter Mike Hutz ranks fifth in assists per game with 12.75.