There’s a 40-mile difference between the campuses of Lewis and Loyola. There’s zero difference between the 10 opponents that the No. 5 Flyers and No. 12 Ramblers play during the first five weeks of this season.
Both opened with King and BYU, both were at UC San Diego and UC Irvine last week, and both host No. 1 Hawaii — along with Penn State — this week.
The big difference is how Lewis and Loyola have fared heading into the matches with the Rainbow Warriors and Nittany Lions. While both defeated King and lost to BYU, the Flyers went 2-0 in California and the Ramblers went 0-2, the latter’s trip prolonged by a 20-hour flight delay that had Loyola returning home to Chicago a day later than expected.
“But we’re home and excited to be hosting Hawaii for the first time,” Ramblers coach Mark Hulse said in a telephone call with the Star-Advertiser. “We’ve gone from starting five seniors last year to starting five freshmen this year.
“Even though we lost the two (to UCSD in five and UCI in four) we feel good about the kind of volleyball we’ve been playing.”
The Ramblers have been playing without injured junior setter Garrett Zolg, a two-time AVCA honorable mention All-American and the third Rambler to twice earn first-team honors in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). Hulse said he was unsure if or when Zolg would return this season and, until then, senior Ian Cowan, the starter in 2017, is running the offense.
Loyola also has been without 6-foot-8 senior middle Kyle Piekarski (undisclosed injury), sixth last season in blocks.
“We’re a little banged up,” Hulse said.
The Ramblers first see Penn State on Friday and then Hawaii on Saturday.
“You can argue which was the better way to schedule, get Hawaii off the plane or get them after they play Lewis,” Hulse said. “Either way, you’re going to see Hawaii, who are big, bad and balanced. They can seriously hurt you at every position, they’re going to serve tough.
“You can’t throw the kitchen sink at any one guy because all their guys can hurt you. You try to stop Rado (senior opposite Parapunov) and then it opens it up for (senior hitter Colton) Cowell. You try to stop the pins (outside hitters) and they’ll go to their middles. They are so balanced.”
Lewis coach Dan Friend agreed when analyzing what will be a rematch of last May’s NCAA semifinal won by the Warriors in four sets.
“Hawaii lost some important pieces but they have important pieces back,” he said in a phone call. “I’ve watched them (on video) and their setter (sophomore Jakob Thelle) is athletic. The Brazilian freshman (middle Guilherme Voss) is going to be a force.
“Hawaii deserves to be No. 1.”
The Flyers are a little different from the team the Warriors last saw. Lewis has a new setter in 6-8 freshman Kevin Kauling but return second-team All-Americans Ryan Coenen, a 6-9 senior who had 18 kills against the Warriors in May, and 6-11 junior middle Tyler Mitchem, who led the country in hitting percentage last season (.504).
Also on the Lewis roster is Waimea High graduate Robert Oliver Jr., a 6-8 junior middle.
Lewis and Loyola continue taking the term “travel partners” to a new level when hosting Urbana and Charleston next week then travel to George Mason — host of this May’s NCAA tournament — where the Flyers and Ramblers alternate playing the host Patriots and Barton in the Uvaldo Acosta Invitational.
>> RELATED: 259 days later, University of Hawaii’s Charlie Wade gets coach of the year honor
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COLLEGIATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
All times Hawaii
>> Friday No. 1 Hawaii (5-0) at No. 5 Lewis (3-1), 3 p.m.
>> Saturday No. 1 Hawaii at No. 12 Loyola (Chicago) (1-3), 3 p.m.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: None
>> Online: Friday, https://www.glvcsn.com/lewis/, Saturday: ESPN3
>> Series: Hawaii leads Lewis 16-2, leads Loyola 9-2
