LEADING OFF 
No. 7 Loyola Chicago opens its 2026 season with a two-match series at No. 2 Hawai’i on Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9. First serve for both matches is set for 11 p.m. CT.  

QUICK HITS 

• Loyola headlines the MIVA conference in the preseason poll; Ryan McElligott, Daniel Fabikovic and Aleksander Sosa tabbed Preseason All-MIVA. The Ramblers were picked seventh in the AVCA Preseason Poll. 
• McElligott finished 2025 as both the MIVA and NCAA assists leader, averaging 10.9 per set.  
• The Ramblers returned 15 student-athletes and welcomed five new faces, including two freshmen and three transfers.  
• Assistant coach Dalton Solbrig lettered four years for the Rainbow Warriors from 2016-19. He was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams, including the national runner-up squad in 2019. 
• Head coach Shane Davis enters his 14th season at Loyola, sporting a 289-92 (.759) career record. In his first season back, Davis led the Ramblers to a 25-4 ledger, their fourth MIVA Tournament title and fourth NCAA Tournament berth. 
• 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Loyola’s men’s volleyball program, which is home to two of the university’s three NCAA national championship titles.  

SCOUTING REPORT 
Hawai’i kicked off its season with a two-match series sweep of NJIT (Jan. 2, Jan. 4), in which sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski combined for 23 kills on .438 hitting. The 6-foot-8 Bulgarian national added five service aces against NJIT. As a team, the Rainbow Warriors hit .517 in both matches. Junior setter Tread Rosenthal led each match in assists, recording 26 in the first and 30 in the rematch. He also contributed 11 total blocks across the series.  

Head coach Charlie Wade entered his 17th season at the helm of the program and boasts a 321-131 career record at Hawai’i. Last season, he led the Rainbow Warriors to their fourth overall Big West Tournament title and 10th NCAA Tournament appearance.  

 

SERIES HISTORY  

The Rainbow Warriors lead the all-time series, 13-3, with the Ramblers and are 12-3 at home against the MIVA opponent. In their last meeting, Loyola left Hawai’i 1-1 after falling 3-0 in match one then taking the second in a five-set thriller. This year’s two-match series marks Davis’ 11th overall matchup against Hawai’i, and his fifth as head coach.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 

Stream both matches on ESPN+. Follow men’s volleyball on Instagram and X @RamblersMVB for in-game updates. 

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – For Shawn McLaughlin, a South Lake Tahoe native, being part of a team was something that came naturally. 

Growing up in Tahoe, McLaughlin was accustomed to community involvement, watching as his father coached track and eventually varsity volleyball as the head coach at George Whittell High School. 

“I used to joke that I was the youngest assistant coach in the country,” said McLaughlin. “I would just go around and help him keep stats.”

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McLaughlin’s father was extremely successful as head volleyball coach, going on to win several state championships over his 18-year run at both Whittell and South Tahoe High Schools, allowing McLaughlin the opportunity to find interest in following in his footsteps. 

Playing volleyball throughout his school years, McLaughlin was also part of a junior club team in the Bay Area before going on to play varsity volleyball at Lindenwood University in St. Louis. 

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After graduating from college, McLaughlin started volunteer coaching at a number of different schools including UC Davis, University of Nevada, Reno, University of the Incarnate Word, and more all around the country. 

“My dad had a huge impact on my wanting to coach,” McLaughlin said, and pretty early on, he determined that a career in education was the direction he wanted to go in. “Volleyball is my means, in education, in growth and learning. I’ve always loved that element and I think that’s part of the reason that coaching has gone the way it’s gone.”

Among McLaughlin’s accomplishments, he brought many teams to their national tournaments through the club ranks. In addition, he won gold in 2014 at the USA Volleyball Junior National in 14’s USA. In terms of college, he’s been coaching for 15 years, winning several conference championships and attending the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament several times. 

En route to becoming a Division I (D-I) coach, the opportunity presented itself in the form of his father running a club and bringing in college coaches.

“One of the coaches he brought in was Jamie Holmes, she was at UC Davis. I approached her and said ‘How do I get into this?’ and she said, ‘come be my volunteer,’” said McLaughlin. “It was a great start to my program and a great start to my career and that pushed me into the rest of it.”

McLaughlin is now in his first headcoaching opportunity at Lehigh University, a D-I school in Pennsylvania, and with his first year completed, the competitive program is allowing him to utilize the skills he’s learned over the years assisting other D-I coaches. “Now this is my opportunity to be super successful and to run my own ship.”

Despite suffering a major injury, his team was still able to overcome adversity and make it to the Patriot League Tournament, an unprecedented accomplishment for Lehigh. 

“I think 2026 could be a really fun year for this team,” added McLaughlin, and with seven seniors on the team, they are striving to be victorious. 

Although McLaughlin is now soaring high as head coach, he doesn’t forget his roots, and continues to return to South Lake Tahoe every Christmas.

“[South Lake Tahoe] is one of the best places in the world to grow up. It’s also a very active community,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just home. It still feels like home to me.” 

LOS ANGELES – The six-time defending West Coast Conference Champions and 2025 NCAA Tournament finalists look to continue to rewrite history this spring. The LMU beach volleyball team, ranked second in the nation to close out last season, has announced the completed schedule for the 2026 season.
 
The Lions will once again open play at the Hawaii’s OUTRIGGER Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic in a loaded field that features games against Cal, USC, UCLA, Texas, Stanford, and Hawaii over three days in February. Last season, LMU went 5-1 in the opening event at Queen’s Beach.
 
LMU will make their home debuts on Feb. 27 and 28, hosting Concordia, Long Beach State, Boise State, and CSUN on the LMU Beach Volleyball Courts on campus.
 
The next two weekends will feature Friday and Saturday matches in Long Beach and Manhattan Beach to begin March.
 
The Lions return home for a single battle against Concordia on March 20 before heading to Malibu for Saturday matches against Pepperdine and Tulane.
 
The next three weekends feature travel to Santa Cruz, Tallahassee, then San Luis Obispo.
 
The final regular season competion returns to campus for home matches against USC, CSUN, and Grand Canyon on April 17-18.

The West Coast Conference Championship returns to Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica from April 23-24, 2026.

 

The NCAA Championships will once again be played in Gulf Shores, Ala., from May 1-3, 2026, to determine the National Champion.

 

All home matches are free to attend this season on LMU’s campus.

 

Donate Today:

Fans interested in making a contribution to the Lions Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will help provide a transformational student-athlete experience athletically, academically, and culturally for every LMU student-athlete. We appreciate your continued support of LMU Athletics. 

 

Follow Along With The Action:

For complete coverage of Loyola Marymount University athletics, visit LMULions.com. We encourage you to follow along with all the action on social media as well. Follow along by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.

 

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University’s Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced the hiring of Derek “Dex” Schroeder as the 11th head coach of the Green Wave’s volleyball program on Wednesday.
 
Schroeder brings 17 years of head coaching experience, most recently serving three seasons as the head coach at Jacksonville State. He has amassed a 279-234 career record and secured five conference titles.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome Derek to our team,” said Harris. “His extensive head coaching experience and proven leadership on the court will be invaluable as we pursue our goals. We believe his track record of success will inspire our student-athletes and elevate our program to new heights.”
 
During his tenure with Jacksonville State, Schroeder developed two All-Conference USA performers: First Team honoree Kayla Williams and All-Freshman team selection Charlee Solomon. He also helped the Gamecocks increase their win total in each of his three seasons.
 
“Derek’s impressive coaching background and dedication to player development make him the perfect fit for our program,” said Charvi Greer, Tulane’s Deputy Athletic Director for Student Services and Senior Woman Administrator. “We look forward to his leadership and the positive impact he will bring to Tulane’s success.”
 
Prior to Jacksonville State, Schroeder led Mercer University’s volleyball program for six seasons. As head coach of the Bears, he earned 81 wins from 2017 to 2022. Notably, in just his second season, he guided Mercer to 16 wins—more than any other Southern Conference season in program history—and secured the program’s first SoCon regular-season titles in 2020 and 2021.
 
In 2021, Schroeder was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year, and three Mercer players earned All-SoCon honors, including Libero of the Year Megan Smith.
 
Schroeder spent eight seasons (2008-16) at the helm of the Samford volleyball program. Prior to his arrival, the program has mustered just single-digit win totals in three of the four previous seasons. He promptly led the team to a 28-5 record, the SoCon North Division title and the finals of the SoCon Championship in his first season. During his time with the Bulldogs, he led the program to 169 wins with seven winning seasons and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2014.
 
While leading the Bulldogs, Schroeder posted more than 20 wins four times. He also won the SoCon North Division a total of four times and coached three different SoCon Players of the Year, in addition to a Freshman of the Year honor and one SoCon Libero of the Year.
 
“I am incredibly honored to join Tulane University and lead its Green Wave volleyball program,” Schroeder said. “I look forward to working with our student-athletes, building a strong team culture, and competing at the highest level. Tulane’s vibrant community and commitment to excellence excite both my wife and I, and we can’t wait to get started in Uptown.”
 
Schroeder’s coaching career began at Furman in 2003, where he served as an assistant coach for four years. He then spent the 2007 season as an assistant at Saint Louis, leading the Billikens to a 23-7 record before accepting the head coaching position at Samford.
 
A native of Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, Schroeder is a 1998 graduate of the University of Windsor, earning his bachelor’s degree in human kinetics. He will be joined in Uptown by his wife Jenna and their great dane Luna.
 
Season tickets are now on sale for the 2026 season at TulaneTix.com. For questions, please contact the Tulane Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE (9283).
 

PITTSBURGH – Olivia Babcock was named a Honda Sport Award finalist for volleyball, announced on Wednesday by The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). She looks to repeat this season after winning the award as a sophomore, becoming the only female student-athlete at Pitt to earn the honor. Mimi Colyer (Wisconsin), Eva Hudson (Kentucky) and Bergen Reilly (Nebraska) round out the list of finalists. 

This marks the 50th year the Honda Sport Award has been in existence and is presented annually by the CWSA to the top female athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.

Babcock wins the award after being named the back-to-back AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year and AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year. She is the only player in Pitt history to be named a three-time AVCA First Team All-American and was tabbed the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player for the third consecutive season after leading the Panthers to their fifth consecutive National Semifinal.

Babcock led the Pitt offense and averaged personal-best marks of 5.17 kills per set and 2.09 digs per set. She notched five ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors and set the program’s single match kills record with 45 against North Carolina. 

The CWSA has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.