Category: News

Use-it-or-lose-it annual leave deadline is Dec. 31

Staff employees are reminded that there is a one-year, carry-over limit on accrued vacation time. The “use-it-or-lose-it” date is Dec. 31.

Employees cannot carry over beyond this date more than the number of annual vacation days for which they are currently eligible. If work or medical conditions prohibit the employee from taking their accrued vacation by Dec. 31, the chief administrator of that division can request an extension of one additional year. The chief administrator and the employee must make every effort to schedule and use the accrued vacation in the coming year as additional extensions will not be permitted.

Contact a Human Resources team member or call 210-431-3970 for more information.

Men’s basketball surges to 8-0 record with win over Jarvis

The men’s basketball team continued its undefeated season by racing past Jarvis Christian University (JCU) 96-86 on Nov. 23. The Saints improve to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Bulldogs fall to 2-5 overall and 2-2 in conference.

History
The Saints were 21-7 against the Bulldogs. Last season the Saints split the series losing the first game 70-73 and winning the second one 78-70.

Basics
The Saints shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and had two players with double digits. Trey Law totaled 11 points and Trevon Dennis had 13. Rob Gil created two turnovers, and the Saints hit 19-of-22 free throws. They scored 51 points in the half while the Bulldogs marked 42. The teams combined for 24 fouls and the Saints finished the frame with nine assists.

Jarvis shot better in the second half, but the Saints were able to keep up. Lonzo Rand and Kenyon Elliott had eight points apiece and both teams committed seven turnovers. The Bulldogs shot 40 percent from three-point range but were only able to get to the charity stripe three times. The Saints won by 10 points to remain undefeated. The Saints had 26 points off turnovers, which doubled the amount JCU was able to gather.

Offensive/defensive standouts
Elliott led the Saints with 16 points, followed by Law with 15. Four different players had four rebounds each. Wahkil Lopez led the squad with five assists.

Jarvis was led by Caleb Thompson with 17 points. Jorden Clark led the squad with five rebounds. Three different players had two assists apiece for the Bulldogs.

Inside the box
OLLU combined for 34-of-64 from the field for a percentage of 53.1. They shot 6-of-23 from three-point range for 26.1 percent and hit 22-of-27 free throws for 81.5 percent. Jarvis shot 33-of-61 for a percentage of 54.1, 8-of-25 three-pointers for 32 percent and 12-of-16 free throws for 75 percent. OLLU added 29 rebounds to JCU’s 25, while the Bulldogs committed 15 turnovers, and OLLU had 14.

Up next
The Saints play at Texas College Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Women’s basketball dismantles Jarvis 100-70

The women’s basketball team scored triple-digit points in a convincing 100-70 victory over Jarvis Christian University (JCU) on Saturday. The Saints jump to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Bulldogs are now 0-5 overall and 0-4 in conference.

History
This was the first time the Saints have scored 100 points or more since 2020. The Saints ae 28-4 against the Bulldogs. Last season, the teams split with OLLU losing the first game 68-63 and winning the second one 62-52.

Basics
The Saints started strong by shooting 45 percent from the field in the first quarter. Both teams struggled from three-point range but the Saints forced six turnovers. They added 26 points in the second quarter and Carlea Owens had 15 points at the break. The Bulldogs shot 22.2 percent in the second quarter and the Saints didn’t allow a three-pointer. OLLU led by 22 points at halftime.

OLLU carried the momentum into the third quarter. Julia Plata hit three buckets from beyond the arc for nine points. Isabella Jaramillo assisted on three plays. The Saints scored 25 points in the quarter. The Bulldogs improved in the fourth quarter by scoring 30 points, but the deficit was too large to overcome. The Saints finished with 100 points, which is the most in a game since 2021. OLLU had 44 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers.

Offensive/defensive standouts
Plata led the Saints with 22 points and four other players finished with double digits. Jaramillo and Alexandra Westerdijk Martin assisted on seven plays apiece. Owens grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Jacy Reese led Jarvis with 16 points. Taylor Gordon totaled eight rebounds and Raniya White had four assists.

Inside the box
OLLU combined for 38-of-67 shooting for 56.7 percent, 13-of-32 from three-point range for 40.6 percent and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line for 84.6 percent. Jarvis shot 23-of-75 for 30.7 percent, 2-of-13 three-pointers for 15.4 percent, and 22-of-33 from the free-throw line for 66.7 percent.

The Saints grabbed 35 rebounds, while JCU collected 39.

Up next
The Saints head to Tyler, Texas, to face Texas College Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Volleyball battled in opening round of nationals

The OLLU volleyball team fought hard against Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE), losing two sets by just three points and one set by six to end their 2024 season in the Opening Round of the 45th Annual NAIA Volleyball National Championship. CUNE, which is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, will move on to Pool Play with a 25-3 record, while the Saints finish the season with a 23-9 record.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “Our ladies represented OLLU in a way that should make every member of the Saints community proud. They put up such a fight and handled themselves with such class. We were in every set with chances to win, but Concordia is No. 2 for a reason, and we made just a few more plays than we did. It was a fun, intense battle all the way through.

“Ani played great again, leading us in kills, and Lauren had a really nice match mixing things around and stealing points with timely dumps.”

Match recap
The Saints started each set with the lead, but CUNE pushed through to lead. However, the Saints remained within a short distance from the Bulldogs throughout the match. In the first set, the Saints tied six times before letting it slip away at 16-16. The Bulldogs won 25-22.

In the second period, the Saints led 3-2, and Julissa Casas’ serve scored five points to give them the lead 9-6. The teams tied four times, but the Bulldogs battled to win 25-19.

The Saints went up 5-2 to begin the third set, and they led until the Bulldogs tied at nine. A kill from Anais Velasquez to tie the game at 22-22 gave the Saints some hope, but CUNE scored three straight points to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.

Match stats
Lauren Reynard led the Saints in assists with 20, while Tina Trevino and Julissa Casas each added 10 digs. Velasquez contributed 10 kills on 22 total attacks for a .318 hitting percentage. Nicole Bir tallied two blocks, and Carly Dossett totaled three service aces.

CUNE had three players with double-digit kills. Ashley Keck had 15, while Kya Scott and Ella Waters each had 10. Rebecca Gebhardt added 16 digs, and Keck had 12. Savannah Shelburne recorded 21 assists, and Lily Psencik had 18.

OLLU’s stats included 38 kills and 14 errors on 113 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .212. The Saints scored 37 assists, 45 digs, and six service aces.

CUNE’s stats included 51 kills and 12 errors on 111 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .351. The Bulldogs added 47 assists, 55 digs, and four blocks.

Conclusion
The Saints finish with the fourth-best record in program history at 23-9. Other records include:

  • Most assists (1,453)
  • Most digs (1,995)
  • Most solo blocks (122)
  • Second most kills in a season (1,519)
  • Third most total blocks (195)
  • Third most kills in a match (71)
  • Tied for most assists in a match (68)
  • Tina Trevino tied for most digs in a match (39)
  • Tina Trevino – most career digs (2,086)
  • Tina Trevino – third most career matches played (118)
  • Tina Trevino – third most career sets played (413)
  • Camila Ramirez – most career kills (1,218)
  • Camila Ramirez – fourth most career sets played (406)
  • Lauren Reynard – second in career assists (2,714)
  • Anais Velasquez – second most blocks in a season (30)

Cross-Country teams competed at nationals in Missouri

The men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed at the NAIA Cross Country National Championship in Columbia, Missouri, last week.

The men’s team finished in 34th place in the 8000m. The College of Idaho won the team national title with 87 points. Milligan University was the team runner-up with 96 points.

Head Coach Brett Charlton commented, “The men’s team had a solid outing. Isai Moran ran very well. To be the top runner on a national qualifying team as a freshman is very impressive. He’s someone we feel we can build around in the future.”

Isai Moran was the Saints’ top finisher with a time of 25:38.7. He was followed by Sabastian Moreno with a time of 26:19.7, Joseph Gonzalez with a time of 26:33.5, JoseCarlos Hernandez with a time of 26:42.2, Jose Saucedo with a time of 26:52.3, Kruz Malesich with a time of 27:33.5 and Tony Favella with a time of 27:58.4.

The women’s team finished in 34th place in the 6000m. The Master’s University emerged as the team champion by one point over Taylor University. 

Coach Charlton commented, “The women’s team competed hard today. Mia Curiel ran a lifetime best in the 6K at 23:43. All the way around the board, the ladies left it on the course. It was an extremely fast field this season which is really good for NAIA cross-country.”

Mia Curiel was the Saints’ top finisher with a time of 23:43.2. She was followed by Victoria Bartlett, who had a time of 24:48.0. Liliana Hernandez was next with a time of 24:54.9. Leilani Leza marked a time of 24:55.5, followed by Valeria Peña at 26:03.2 and Claudia Helena Lopez at 26:59.0.

Overall, the 2024 NAIA cross country national championship was a highly competitive and exciting event that showcased the talent and dedication of the participating student-athletes.

Free Thanksgiving meal for students on Tuesday

All OLLU students are invited to enjoy a free Thanksgiving meal on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. in the Saints Café and take the needed steps to finalize their spring registration.

Members of the President’s Cabinet will serve the meal. Staff from the Financial Aid and Student Business Office will be on hand to assist students who have not completed the final steps for spring registration. Students who complete their final Student Business Office confirmation will be entered into a gift card drawing.

The Student Affairs Division is sponsoring the meal. Contact the office for additional information at studentaffairs@ollusa.edu or 210-431-3954.

Campus Christmas decorating begins Tuesday

Join the Mission and Ministry Division as they prepare campus for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Student, faculty and staff volunteers are welcome to help with the decorating which will take place Tuesday from 3-5:30 p.m. Volunteers are needed to decorate the Moye Rotunda and Sacred Heart Chapel

Please sign up using the following link: Sign up today.

Following the decorating, the community is invited to partake in a FREE! Thanksgiving meal in the Saints Café, graciously sponsored by our Division of Student Affairs. Dinner will begin with prayer at 5:30 p.m. and serving will start at 5:45 p.m. Meals will be first-come, first-served.