IRVINE, Calif. - Sophomore Joel Schneidmiller has been named the Buffalo Wild Wings Anteater of the Week after leading the UC Irvine men's volleyball team to back-to-back road wins over top-10 opponents.
 
In last Friday's season opener, the 'Eaters rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat ninth-ranked Loyola Chicago at Gentile Arena (30-32, 16-25, 33-31, 25-22, 15-13). Schneidmiller sparked the comeback effort as he had 10 kills on 14 swings in a must-win third set. He went on to record a career-high 28 kills, shattering his previous best of 19. Schneidmiller also registered 10 digs, three blocks and two aces. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter's 28 kills were the most by an Anteater in a match since 2010.
 
The following day, Schneidmiller had a match-high tying 13 kills, to go along with three blocks, two digs and two aces in a 3-1 victory over No. 7 Lewis.
 
On the week, Schneidmiller averaged 4.56 kills, 1.33 digs, 0.67 blocks and 0.44 aces per set.
 
No. 3 UC Irvine stays on the road this week as it heads to Farifax, Va., for the Uvaldo Acosta Invitational, where it will square off against Princeton (Jan. 11) and host George Mason (Jan. 12).