SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
Although a first-year program in the NAIA, the Briar Cliff University Chargers have shown much promise to start 2016.  Led by head coach Trevor Shirman, a former All-American and USA Volleyball standout, the Chargers have gotten out to a 1-1 start. This start includes a 3-1 defeat to perennial NAIA-powerhouse Grand View University and a 3-0 victory over Morningside College. In the Morningside match, four Briar Cliff players registered at least nine kills with David Barrett leading the way posting a .727 attack percentage.  

ALL-TIME RECORD VERSUS LAKELAND
Lakeland has won all three meetings all-time against Loras. The two sides met for the first time on Feb. 22.

LAST TIME AGAINST LAKELAND
The last matchup between the Duhawks and Muskies occurred just two weeks ago as part of the Lakeland Triangular in Sheboygan, Wis. After a convincing 3-0 victory against IIT, Loras seemed to have run out of gas, having no answer for the Lakeland attack. Led by 13 kills from Matt Stolz, the Muskies took the match in straight sets (25-19,25-20,25-20). Greg Kinney totaled eight kills for the Duhawks in his second-ever collegiate match while Jimmy Combs and Dylan Ross chipped in five a piece.  

SCOUTING THE MUSKIES
Lakeland have gotten off to a solid start, posting a 4-2 record so far despite some stiff competition. Since their last meeting with Loras, the Muskies have played three teams inside the top-10 of either the NAIA or Division III National Poll. In their meeting with sixth-ranked Cardinal Stritch, Lakeland came away with a five-set victory in Milwaukee, Wis. One of the standout performers for the Muskies thus far in 2016 has been outside hitter Matt Stolz, whose 59 kills ranks third in the MCVL. Also, middle hitter Tim Robbins has been an important part of the Lakeland attack posting 41 kills and .321 attack percentage.

LAST TIME AGAINST IIT
In the opening match of 2016, the Duhawks were dominant in a 3-0 victory against the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks. The normal Loras starters set the tone with victories in sets one and two, giving head coach Thornburg the luxury to play some of the reserves in set three. Although the match had some hiccups along the way, the reserves won set three 26-24 and close out the Duhawks' first victory of 2016. Outside hitters Ryan Galvan and Greg Kinney paced the Loras attack with seven and five kills respectively. Defensively, Jimmy Combs established an early net presence and finished the day with five combined blocks.

SCOUTING THE SCARLET HAWKS
Illinois Tech comes into the weekend in search of their first win in program history. The Scarlet Hawks are led by Filip Letkiewicz and Kevin Schroeder whom have combined for 23 kills in their first three matches.  

SCOUTING THE CRIMSON WAVE
With the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave program now in its second season, the Wave have high hopes for 2016. However, coming in to the weekend at 0-3, they have not gotten out to the fast start that they hoped for. In their latest day of matches, CCSJ suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Loras' familiar MCVL-foes Dominican and Benedictine. On the day, outside hitter Jake Olson posted 17 combined kills while right side Tim Williams chipped in 12 of his own.

DUHAWKS BOUNCE BACK TO EARN SWEEP OF BENEDICTINE
Following a heartbreaking 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 23-25, 8-15) loss to North Central on Sunday, the Duhawks picked themselves up by their bootstraps to earn their second victory of the season. Freshman Jake Chudzik stole the show for the Duhawks, turning in his best performance to date. The Frankfort, Ill. native ranked second on the team with eight kills against the Eagles, but led with a .636 attacking percentage among those who played in all three sets. As a team, the Duhawks consistently out attacked the Eagles, finishing with a .277 to .140 advantage.

COMBS GETTING IT DONE
Sophomore Jimmy Combs has elevated his game in his second season for the Duhawks. Following a season where he was a force in the middle of the Loras offense, Combs picked up right where he left off. The Penfield, N.Y. native is fourth on the team in kills with 20 and currently holds a 1.18 kills per set average. While Combs' offensive presence has been beneficial to Loras, its his defense that has played the largest role. Currently leading the team with 40 blocks, Combs recorded nine blocks in last Sunday's 3-0 win over Benedictine.

ROSS TERRIFIC AT THE SERVING LINE
Sophomore Dylan Ross is noted for his terrific play on the right side, where he has recorded 29 kills so far in 2016. Another part of his game that has been strong has been his serving. Through five games, Ross leads the Duhawks with seven service aces, an average of 0.39 per set. Ross's consistency at the service line gives head coach Jeremy Thornburg more options and offensive punch going forward.

MARQUEZ MAKING MOVES
Sophomore Shayne Marquez leads the Duhawks in assists and digs. In the 6-2 formation that Loras employs, Marquez splits time with sophomore Danny Krasich at the setter position. Marquez has 79 assists in five games, averaging 4.39 assists per set. He also has recorded 28 digs, averaging 1.56 per set.