While most teams start their seasons against easy-win opponents, the No. 9 Loyola men’s volleyball team (3-2) was thrown to the wolves, facing three top-five ranked opponents in four matches to open its 2017 campaign.
To kick things off, Loyola, which was ranked No. 11 before the season started, hosted No. 2 UCLA. After falling into an early 2-0 hole, the Ramblers couldn’t get anything going in the third set. Despite sophomore outside hitter Will Tischler’s team-leading nine kills, the Bruins swept Loyola 3-0.
The Ramblers bounced back from the loss by gathering a sweep of their own over unranked New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).