DAYTON - The University of Dayton volleyball team is headed to Chicago to open the Atlantic 10 portion of its schedule at Loyola Chicago this weekend. The Flyers and Ramblers are set to square off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET followed by a 1:30 p.m. ET matinee on Saturday. Both matches will be played at LUC's Gentile Arena.

Fans can follow the action via live stats at Statbraodcast.com and live video stream on ESPN+.

ABOUT DAYTON
Dayton (11-2) is set to open Atlantic 10 Conference play enjoying a six-match winning streak that includes five-consecutive straight-set wins. The Flyers' offense is led by junior outside hitter Lexie Almodovar with 4.43 kills/set (13th NCAA) and 5.11 points/set (14th NCAA) while junior middle blocker Alayna Yates carries the team's best hitting percentage of .364 (2nd A-10). Junior Alyssa Miller is the team's primary setter, averaging 10.26 assists/set (2nd A-10) and sophomore libero Karissa Kaminski passes a team-high 4.45 digs/set (3rd A-10).

SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO
Loyola Chicago (2-9) has faced some adversity early this season and is currently struggling through an eight-match losing streak. Last weekend the Ramblers hosted the Hampton Inn Invitational, dropping matches to UIC, DePaul and Yale. Karlie McNabb leads LUC with 3.08 kills/set (10th A-10) while Addie Barnes serves up 0.54 aces/set (1st A-10). On defense, Anna Feldkamp records 0.90 blocks/set (8th A-10) and Grace Hinchman gets under 3.89 digs/set (7th A-10).

SERIES STUFF
Loyola Chicago Leads, 16-6
After splitting last season's two-match series, Loyola Chicago bested Dayton, 3-1, in the final match of the 2022 Atlantic 10 Championship to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. In a series that dates back to 1978, prior to Loyola joining the A-10 last season, the pair had last squared off on Aug. 31, 2002 with Dayton claiming a 3-1 win at the Long Beach State Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT
In its first three matches away from home for the 2023 season, Dayton won nine consecutive sets at the UNI Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Dayton posted straight-set wins over Northern Illinois, host Northern Iowa and North Dakota at the Panthers' McLeod Center.

RPI RANKINGS
In the NCAA's final Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2022 season, Dayton ranked 117th according to NCAA.com. Loyola Chicago was ranked 74th.

UD PICKED SECOND IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL
Dayton volleyball was picked to finish second in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference volleyball poll, which was announced Aug. 22. The preseason poll was voted on by the league's 10 head volleyball coaches. The Flyers advanced to the final match of the 2022 A-10 Championship. UD finished last season with a record of 12-6 in league play, placing third, and 20-13 overall.

2023 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Preseason Poll (number in parenthesis indicates first-place votes)
1   Loyola Chicago (7)    97
2   Dayton (2)                 89
3   Davidson (1)             81
4   George Washington  67
5   VCU                          58
6   Saint Louis                51
7   Fordham                   45
8   Duquesne                 26
9   George Mason         20
10 Rhode Island            16

AVCA/TARAFLEX TOP 25 COACHES POLL
In the Sept. 18 edition of the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Top 25 poll, Dayton was ranked 23rd. This equals the Flyers' No. 23 ranking in the final regular-season poll of 2016, the last time Dayton was ranked prior to this season. Over the history of the AVCA WVB DI Coaches Top 25 Poll, Dayton has been ranked a total of 59 times and the program's highest ranking was No. 10 on Sept. 3, 2012.

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