Category: Sports

The women’s soccer program led by head coach Shane Hurley and assistant coach Arthur Salazar are set to kick off its 2013 season on Aug. 23 against NCAA Division III Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas. This year’s home opener takes place on Aug. 31, when the Saints host the University of Houston – Victoria, a member of the Association of Independent Institutions in the NAIA. The Saints finished the 2012 season ranked fifth in the conference and lost against the University of Texas at Brownsville in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. The Saints fell to Brownsville 2-1. Read more.

The volleyball team, led by Head Coach Mark Lee, is getting ready for another competitive year as preseason is set to start on Aug. 23. The Saints will host NCAA Division II St. Mary’s University for a scrimmage. The Saints finished the 2012 season in fourth place in the Red River Athletic Conference and suffered a tough loss in the conference tournament quarterfinals against Texas Wesleyan University. The Saints fought hard, but lost 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-20, 27-25). According to Lee, last year’s team was a very young team that had a season filled with close games that resulted in a lot of tough losses. He hopes that his returning players learned a lot from previous mistakes and will be able to turn tight games into victories this year. “I feel confident that the players returning to the team will come back with their heads in the right place,” Lee explained. Read more.

OLLU has signed junior point guard Warren “Theo” Plowden, a transfer student from Daytona State College in Daytona, Fla.

Head Coach Russell Vanlandingham said, “Theo has all the qualities I look for in a recruit on and off the court. I expect him to display his keen abilities as a point guard immediately, and I fully expect him to excel in the classroom and to become one of our team leaders.”

Plowden, who is 6’0″ and 183 lbs., is a native of Ocoee, Fla., where he attended Ocoee High School. While there, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and four assists per game his senior year. He graduated with honors as part of the National Junior Honor Society with a 3.75 GPA. Plowden was a member of the Central Florida All-Star Team. Read more online.

The third annual 8v8 soccer tournament sponsored by OLLU concluded last week, and according to officials, it was a huge success.

Bianca Ramirez, OLLU 8v8 Program Coordinator said, “We look forward to holding our event again next year, and we are hoping to add a men’s version, as well. Everyone had a great time, and even though we had three games rained out, the girls still came out to play.” Read more online.