Loyola will get an opportunity in 2026 to avenge their season-ending loss from the recent NCAA Tournament.
Pepperdine as part of releasing its 2026 schedule announced it will play Loyola in a road non-conference match in January.
This will be the first between the two teams since Pepperdine defeated Loyola in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The Waves pulled off that comeback victory after losing the first game and overcame three game-points to win the second game in overtime.
Loyola finished last season winning the MIVA championship and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning back-to-back national championships 10 years ago.
Setter Ryan McElligott in 2025 was second in the nation with a 10.81 assists per game average and guided the offense to the third-best attack percentage in the nation at .363. McElligott also in the offseason helped the United States win the gold medal at the NORCECA Final Six.
Pepperdine upset USC in the MPSF Tournament finals last season to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time since 2019. Both pin-hitters Ryan Barnett and Cole Harkke ended the season in the nation’s top 25 averaging more than 3.50 kills per game.
This will be the second consecutive year the Ramblers and Waves played each other in the regular season. Loyola on the road defeated Pepperdine in five games in the opening weeks of the 2025 season.
The all-time series between the two programs is tied at 3-3 with Loyola winning the last time it played host to Pepperdine in 2019.