LEADING OFF
In its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, No. 9 Loyola Chicago takes on Saint Francis (Pa.) in the first-ever Regional Semifinals on Friday, May 1 at 9 p.m. CT in Long Beach, Calif. The Ramblers battle the Red Flash in the iconic LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
QUICK HITS
- The Ramblers came in at No. 9 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll and are sixth in the Division I Men's Volleyball RPI Rankings.
- Loyola finished runner-up in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament Championship (April 25) and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, which expanded from eight to 12 teams in 2026. It marks the Ramblers' fifth overall appearance in the tournament.
- Juniors Daniel Fabikovic and Aidan Klein were selected to the All-Tournament team; the pair were joined on the All-MIVA First Team by grad student Josh Schellinger. Senior Ryan McElligott and freshman Oskar Berg Mikkelsen were named to the Second Team. Fabikovic made his third straight appearance on the First Team and Klein marked the first all-conference selection of his career.
- Nationally, Loyola ranks fourth in kills/set (12.78), fifth in assists/set (11.99), ninth in hitting percentage (.327), 13th in aces/set (1.60) and 19th in blocks/set (2.21).
- Klein paced the MIVA for most of the season with a .538 hitting clip; he recorded four matches with at least 10 kills while hitting.667 or higher. He's tied for first on the team with 26 aces and leads the defense behind 94.0 blocks, placing him 24th in the country.
- Junior opposite Aleksandar Sosa made his return to the court in the MIVA Tournament semifinals, leading Loyola past Lewis with a staggering 17 kills on .333 hitting. He added one ace and four digs in the sweep. Sosa missed 14 matches due to injury.
- Head coach Shane Davis marked 300 career wins earlier this season after a sweep against Ball State (March 5). He is the winningest coach in program history with a 309-100 ovreall ledger (.756).
- Men's volleyball celebrates its 30th anniversary this year after Loyola added the program in 1996. The team is home to two of the university's three national championships and has never had a losing season.
SCOUTING REPORT
With an 18-11 overall record and 10-2 ledger in league play, Saint Francis earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth after clinching the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Championship. The Red Flash won its fourth consecutive regular season title to claim the top seed in the conference tournament. Senior outside Brady Stump, an NEC First Team selection, was named the Tournament MVP. He was joined by sophomore setter Kyle Charles and senior libero Richard Kaminski on the All-Tournament Team. Charles and senior outside Cole Dorn were also all-conference First Teamers. Head coach Mike Rumbaugh, in his 28th season at the helm of the program, was named the NEC Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year.
Stump paces the Red Flash with 3.26 kills/set (313 total) and 53 total service aces (0.55/set), good for third in the NCAA. Aiding the offense, Charles averages 9.12 assists/set (739) and Dorn anchors Saint Francis' defense with 149 digs (1.57/set). At the net, senior middle Sam Lane totals 67.0 blocks.
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola holds the series advantage over Saint Francis 17-2. The teams met most recently in the 2025 regular season at Gentile Arena where the Ramblers swept the Red Flash in their third match of the year. Loyola's two losses to Saint Francis came in 2016 and 2011 – both five-set matches. It's the first meeting ever between the two programs in the NCAA Tournament.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the NCAA Regional on ESPN+. Follow men's volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates.