WINDY CITY ON TAP FOR No. 11 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Posted: Dec 19, 2017

WINDY CITY ON TAP FOR No. 11 MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

ETOBICOKE, Ont -- The No. 11 Humber men's volleyball program will be heading to Chicago, Ill., over the holiday break to compete against a few of the top programs in NCAA D1 men's volleyball. On a six-match win streak, the Hawks have climbed into the CCAA national rankings and will be tested against three top-15 NCAA programs.

Humber will play three teams from Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), a conference that has won five of the last eight NCAA national championships.

Scouting No. 13 Loyola | Dec. 29 | 6 p.m.

  • In the AVCA Preseason poll, the Loyola Rambler's ranked No. 13 and are one of four MIVA teams ranked in the poll.
  • The Rambler's won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2014 and 2015.
  • Since 2014, Loyola boasts a 93-23 (.802) record.
  • The Rambler's feature six-foot-ten middle blocker Jeff Jendryk, a 2017 AVCA First Team All-American who competed for the U.S. Men's National Team during the FIVB World League play over the summer.

Scouting No. 6 Lewis | Dec. 30 | 7 p.m.

  • Coming off a 23-7 season last year, the Lewis University men's volleyball team is the preseason sixth-ranked program in the NCAA.
  • Under head coach Dan Friend – 263-134 in 13 seasons – Lewis has been ranked nationally in the last 115 AVCA Polls, dating back to 2011.
  • The Flyers are led by redshirt sophomore Ryan Coenen, the MIVA Co-Freshman of the Year in 2017. The outside hitter finished second on the team in kills (342) and averaged 3.2 kills-per-set.

Scouting No. 14 Ball State | Jan. 1 | 7:30 p.m.

  • The Cardinals finished the 2017 season with a 19-10 record and a 9-7 mark in conference play, and enter 2018 year as the 14th ranked program in the NCAA.
  • Ball State is led by Matt Szews and Matt Walsh, 2017 AVCA Honourable Mention All-Americans.
  • In 19 seasons with Ball State, head coach Joel Walton has led the program to 15 NCAA tournament appearances and owns a 354-201 (.637) career record.

39th Excalibur Classic
 Before returning to OCAA league action, No. 11 Humber will compete in the 39th Excalibur Classic, held by York University. The tournament will feature seven U-Sport and three CCAA programs. Humber opens the tournament against Dalhousie (2-4) on Jan. 5 at noon.

Conference Play
 The Hawks will return to OCAA action on Jan. 14 against St. Clair (5-4, 4th OCAA) at the North Campus Gym. First serve is set for 3 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Hawks Sports Network.