Feb. 15, 2012
CHICAGO -
No. 14 Loyola vs. George Mason
February 17, 2012
6:00 p.m. CST
Fairfax, Va.
No. 14 Loyola vs. NJIT
February 18, 2012
6:00 p.m. CST
Newark, N.J.
Weekly Notes PDF
Last Time Out..
Errors proved costly as the then-No. 12 Loyola Ramblers fell to No. 7 Lewis in three sets at Neil Carey Arena. The Ramblers were swept by scores of 35-37, 19-25, and 20-25. Joseph Smalzer led the Rambler offense with 13 kills, hitting for a .207 percentage. Peter Jasaitis anchored the backline, collecting a career-best 17 digs.
Season At A Glance...
After posting an overall record of 21-8 and finishing second in the conference (9-3) last season, the Loyola Ramblers are poised for another successful season and a strong run for the program’s first-ever NCAA appearance. Head coach Shane Davis returns all but one starter to the 2012 squad, including AVCA All-American Mike Bunting and 2011 MIVA Freshman of the Year Joseph Smalzer. Loyola also returns 11 additional letterwinners and welcomes eight newcomers, including Volleyball Magazine’s High School Player of the Year Cody Caldwell (Newport Beach, Calif.).
George Mason Scouting Report...
After being tabbed to finish second in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, head coach Fred Chao returns five starters and 11 letterwinners to the 2012 roster including 2011 First Team All-EIVA member Mark Jones. The junior outside hitter anchors the offense after ranking second in the conference with 424 kills and seventh with 32 service aces last season. Since falling to the Ramblers earlier this season, the Patriouts have slumped to a 4-6 record.
NJIT Scouting Report...
Head coach Ryan McNeil returns 11 past letterwinners and welcomes seven newcomers to the 2012 roster. Leading the way for the Highlanders this season has been freshman outside hitter TJ Jurko. Jurko has made an early impact in his collegiate career, collecting a team-high 125 kills. Two members of the squad, Kevin Van Oss and Adam Gustafson, have already received Defensive Player of the Week honors for their efforts this season.
Series History...
George Mason: Loyola extended its all-time series edge to 11-3 against George Mason after its four-set win against the Patriots in January. The Ramblers have now topped George Mason in the past six consecutive meetings, dating back to 2008.
NJIT: The Ramblers are undefeated against the Highlanders, holding a 7-0 advantage in the all-time series, and have only dropped on three sets. The last time the two teams faced each other was on Mar. 19, 2011 where Loyola walked away with a 3-1 victory.
Favored To Win...
Loyola begins conference play this week as they travel to Ball State on Thursday. The Ramblers were voted the preseason favorite in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). Loyola, which finished second in the conference last season, received 45 points in the poll, edging reigning National Champion Ohio State by three. The Ramblers also received four of the possible seven first-place votes with Ohio State notching the remaining three. Lewis received 39 points to be tabbed third while Ball State and Quincy tied with 21 points apiece for fourth place. IPFW and Grand Canyon ranked sixth and seventh, respectively to round out the voting.
Climbing The Boards...
Adding this season’s 87 kill total to his previous three years at Loyola, senior Mike Bunting has tallied 1,119 kills while wearing a Rambler jersey. Bunting is only 25 kills away from Tom Papp’s fifth-place record of 1,144 kills, set during his 1996-99 collegiate career.
Ace of Cakes, Cup Of Joe...
Last year, Joe Smalzer quickly established himself as a monumental threat when it came to the art of serving, notching 47 service aces throughout the season. With a combined total of 71 service aces during his two-year career, Smalzer is only 11 aces away from breaking into the career record list, beating Scott Greene’s (2002-2005) record of 81 to take the No. 10 spot.
Smalzer has also been an offensive powerhouse when it comes to the front row attack. With 149 kills already this season, Smalzer has collected an impressive total of 494 kills in just two years, putting him close to the 500 mark early in his career.
Set Me Up...
Junior Matt Mirick has taken the place of the graduated Mike Hutz at the starting setter position. A former High School All-American, Mirick competed in 44 sets last season, recording a career-high 24 assists against NJIT on March 19. So far this season, Mirick has dished out 449 assists to his hitters, averaging 11.06 assists per set. Mirick has already more than doubled his personal-best with a 56 assist performance against BYU on Jan. 6. With his total this season, Mirick already ranks seventh on Loyola’s all-time career record list. Next step up the ladder is 523 assists, held by Kyle Exline (2008-11).
New To Court...
Despite returning all but one regular starter from last season’s squad, Loyola’s lineup on the court has been predominately fresh-faced. Only three of the usual seven men on the court (libero included) were not among last season’s regular starting squad. Junior Matt Mirick has taken over the leadership position at setter, while redshirt sophomore Peter Jasaitis is the new keeper of the backline, taking the libero role. Kyle Nail and Danny Podkowa have so far split duties of middle hitter (opposite Eric Daliege in the rotation) and freshman Cody Caldwell has established himself as a threatening weapon for the Ramblers on the outside.
Fab 50 Freshmen...
It is safe to say that Loyola scored big when it comes to fresh talent this season. In addition to an already strong core of returning players, the Ramblers added eight newcomers to the 2012 roster (two transfers, a sophomore walk-on, and five true freshmen). All five freshmen, namely Ryan Baine, Cody Caldwell, Robert Chilcoat, Kurtis Mirick, and James Zaluski, were designated to Volleyball Magazine’s ‘Fab 50’ recruits from the 2011 senior class. Loyola was the only school to sign five ‘Fab 50’ players, claiming the second most of any school, trailing Pepperdine and USC who each welcomed seven to their respective squads.
Preseason Recognition...
Senior Mike Bunting and redshirt sophomore Joseph Smalzer have been tabbed to the 2012 MIVA Preseason All-Conference Team, it was announced by the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
Bunting (Wyomissing, Pa.) has collected multiple accolades during his tenure at Loyola, including an AVCA All-American second team selection and two Sports Imports/AVCA National Offensive Player of the Week awards in 2011. After totaling a team-high 417 kills and leading the MIVA with a 4.21 kill per set average, Bunting was named to the MIVA All-Conference First Team for the second year in a row.
After opting to redshirt his 2010 freshman campaign, Smalzer (Palos Heights, Ill.) made an immediate impact in 2011. He started in 27 matches, posting 345 kills and leading the conference with 47 service aces to earn the MIVA Freshman of the Year title. Smalzer was also named to the MIVA All-Conference First Team and MIVA All-Championship Team for his efforts during the season.
So far this season Bunting has played to 47 kills in 14 sets, while Smalzer leads the Ramblers with 98 kills and 18 service aces in 25 sets.
