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Coach John Hawks will get a chance to go head-to-head against his long-time former boss.
Loyola as part of unveiling its 2024 schedule announced it will have a non-conference home match against the defending NCAA champions UCLA on Jan. 13.
This will be the first meeting between the Ramblers and Bruins since Hawks departed UCLA to become the Loyola head coach for the 2023 season. Hawks spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA under head coach John Speraw and helped lead the Bruins to three NCAA Tournament semifinals appearances.
Loyola in Hawks’ first season won a share of the MIVA regular season championship and finished at No. 13 in the national coaches poll. Among the starters returning for the Raambers include All-American Parker Van Buren, who was named a finalist for the 2023 Bryan Ivie Award as the nation’s top opposite.
UCLA defeated Hawai’i in the NCAA Tournament finals last season for the program’s 20th all-time national championship and first since 2006. Setter Andrew Rowan, the National Newcomer of the Year, guided the offense to a nation-best .382 attack percentage and was in the nation’s top 15 averaging 0.46 aces per game.
The Bruins are 8-0 all-time against the Ramblers, including winning the most recent meeting in four games in 2019.
The UCLA match will conclude a stretch to open the season of six straight non-conference matches against teams that ended last season in the top 10 of the national rankings.
Loyola will play a two-match road series against Hawai’i to begin the season and will then travel for another two-match series versus Stanford. It also will play BYU in its home opener before facing UCLA.
Loyola 2024 regular season schedule
Jan. 3 at Hawai’i
Jan. 5 at Hawai’i
Jan. 7 at Stanford
Jan. 8 at Stanford
Jan. 11 vs. BYU
Jan. 13 vs. UCA
Jan. 19 vs. Kentucky State
Jan. 20 vs. Merrimack
Jan. 26 vs. Long Island
Jan. 27 vs. George Mason
Feb. 1 at Ball State
Feb. 6 at Purdue Fort Wayne
Feb. 9 vs. Ohio State
Feb. 14 at Lewis
Feb. 17 vs. Ball State
Feb. 23 at Lindenwood
Feb. 24 at Lindenwood
Feb. 29 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
March 2 at Ohio State
March 11 vs. Princeton
March 14 vs. Quincy
March 16 vs. McKendree
March 21 at Quincy
March 23 at McKendree
March 28 vs. Queens
March 30 vs. Queens
April 6 vs. Lewis