Tag: RRAC Champs

Volleyball sweeps TAMUT to win conference championship, earns nationals berth

Join team at noon Monday to find out who they play in opening round

Head Coach Scott Mattera led the volleyball team to his second Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Tournament Title on Saturday as the team swept Texas A&M University (TAMUT) in three sets. Their victory has earned them a berth in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.

The NAIA Selection Show will take place Monday at noon revealing who the Saints will face for the opening round and where the match will take place. A watch party will be held in UWAC Room 104, and all are welcome to attend.

RRAC Conference Tournament overview
The TAMUT Eagles, as the No. 1 seed, and OLLU, as the No. 2 seed, faced a challenging path to the finals. No. 4-seed Louisiana Christian University (LCU) and No. 5 Paul Quinn College battled it out, with LCU emerging victorious to face TAMUT in the first semifinals match. No. 3-seed Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) also fought hard, defeating No. 6-seed Jarvis Christian University to advance to the semifinals against OLLU. This journey to the finals was filled with intense competition and showcased the strength of each team.

TAMUT first defeated LCU 3-0, and OLLU defeated XULA 3-1, and the two teams advanced to the finals.

Match overview
The Saints won the first set 25-23. OLLU tallied 14 kills and six errors on 44 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .182. The Eagles added 13 kills and nine errors on 42 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .095.

In the second game, OLLU won 25-20, and the Saints recorded 10 kills on eight errors in 40 attacks for a .050 hitting percentage. TAMUT came out even with eight kills and eight errors on 39 attacks for a hitting percentage of zero.

In the third period, the Saints had 12 kills on four errors in 33 attacks, for a hitting percentage of .242. The Eagles fared better, with 14 kills and four errors in 37 attacks, for a hitting percentage of .270.

Overall, the Saints recorded 36 kills and 18 errors on 117 attacks, for a .154 hitting percentage. The team also had 34 assists, five aces, and 57 digs.

The Eagles had similar stats: 35 kills, 21 errors on 118 attacks, and a hitting percentage of .119. The team also had 34 assists, two aces, 58 digs, and seven blocks.

Individual leaders
Anais Velasquez’s outstanding performance, leading the Saints with 10 kills on 21 attacks and earning the 2024 RRAC Tournament MVP and All-Tournament Winner titles, is a source of pride for the team and the OLLU community. Her achievement is a testament to the team’s dedication and talent.

Camila Ramirez tallied seven kills and also earned All-Tournament honors.

Lauren Reynard added 16 assists to earn All-Tournament, while Tina Trevino recorded 19 digs and also earned All-Tournament honors.

TAMUT’s Alanna Deering added seven kills and earned All-Tournament honors. Teammate Paulina Dobreva had eight kills and earned All-Tournament recognition.

Zoe Martinez led her team in assists with 17 and 13 digs. Mia Mata added 16 digs for her team.

Other All-Tournament winners were Kamea Uitenham from XULA and Kierra Jones from LCU.

What’s next
The opening round for nations is scheduled for Saturday at various campus sites. The winners of the opening round will advance to the Pool Play competition, which will be held Dec. 4-10 at the Tysons Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Women’s cross-country wins 10th conference championship

For the sixth year in a row and 10th time overall, the women’s cross-country team has captured the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Women’s Cross-Country Championships. This victory adds to the team’s impressive track record in the RRAC, having consistently performed at the top of the competition over the years. The event was held at the Windcrest Golf Course.

OLLU’s victory was a collective effort, as they outpaced second-place Texas A&M University—Texarkana (TAMUT) with four of the top five individual times and six of the top eight. This strong team performance was a key factor in their success.

Third place went to Xavier University of Louisiana, who had one runner in the top 10 – Skylah Barton. Fourth place went to Jarvis Christian University.

OLLU junior Mia Curiel claimed the RRAC individual championship with a time of 24:03.6 on the 6000m course, 15 seconds ahead of the field. Leilani Leza, another standout performer, placed third for the Saints with a time of 24:41. Their exceptional performances were key to the team’s success in the championships.

The women have won nine individual championships. Jasmine Garcia won the title in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Annie Trejo won in 2018, while Lindsey Broussard won in 2019, Nadia Sifuentes in 2021 and 2022, and Sanai Robinson won the title last season.

Brett Charlton, in his first year as head coach, also captured Coach of the Year honors.

Joining Curiel and Leza for All-Conference are Liliana Hernandez for fourth place with a time of 24:45, Victoria Bartlett for fifth place with a time of 24:49, Valeria Peña for seventh place with a time of 25:01 and Claudia Helena Lopez in eighth place with a time of 25:29. Daylah Vega’s time was 27:38 for 15th place.

What’s next

The women have qualified for the 45th Annual NAIA Women’s Cross-Country National Championship that will take place Nov. 22 at the Gans Creek Cross-Country Course in Columbia, Miss.

Men’s cross-country takes ninth conference championship

The men’s cross-country team won the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Men’s Cross-Country Championships. The event was held at the Windcrest Golf Course.

OLLU secured seven of the top 10 finishers, with Texas A&M University – Texarkana’s (TAMUT) Shea Johnson winning the individual medal and teammate Isaac Cup coming in third. University of the Southwest’s Brendan Curtis finished 10th.

TAMUT came in second in the championship, followed by the University of the Southwest, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Jarvis Christian University.

OLLU senior Joseph Gonzalez was the runner-up with a time of 26:19 in the 8000m. Sabastian Moreno came in fourth with a time of 26:51. In fifth place was Isai Moran with a time of 27:17. In sixth was Jayden Turrubiates with a time of 27:25. Seventh place finisher was Jose Saucedo with a time of 27:42, followed by Kruz Malesich in eighth place with a time of 27:49 and Tony Favella in ninth place with a time of 28:01. These Saints, united in their pursuit of victory, all earned All-Conference honors, showcasing the strong bond and camaraderie within the team.

Other finishers for the Saints include: Vincent Garza, 28:17; Ryan Aldana, 28:46; Andrew Ruiz, 29:03; Jose Perez, 29:17; Robert Rios, 30:35; JoseCarlos Hernandez, 31:04; Marc Castro, 31:43; and Dominic Alonzo, 34:41.

Brett Charlton, in his first year as head coach, also captured Coach of the Year honors.

This marks the men’s ninth championship title in 10 years. The team won the title in 2022 but was disqualified.

After the meet, the Saints honored the Senior Class of 2024 – Joseph Gonzalez, JoseCarlos Hernandez, Kruz Malesich, Diego Moran, Robert Rios and Andrew Ruiz.

What’s next
The men will prepare for the 69th Annual NAIA Men’s Cross-Country National Championship, which will take place Nov. 22 at the Gans Creek Cross-Country Course in Columbia, Miss. This prestigious event will see the best college cross-country teams from across the nation compete for the title.

Saints men capture eighth straight RRAC cross-country conference championship

The men’s cross-country team has won its eighth consecutive Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Cross-Country Championship. The event took place Friday morning at the Culebra Creek Park in San Antonio.

The men’s team marked 24 points to win the 8k. The Saints were followed by Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) with 44 points, Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) wuth 81 points, Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) with 93 points, the University of the Southwest (USW) with 150 points and Jarvis Christian University (JCU) with 152 points.

Jose Zarate finished in second place for the Saints with a time of 25:28.4. Diego Moran came in fourth place with a time of 26:28.1. Jayden Turrubiates marked 26:36.2 for fifth place. Kruz Malesich came in sixth place with a time of 26:49.6. Hendrick Ramirez finished in seventh place with a time of 26:57.3. JoseCarlos Hernandez came in eighth place with a time of 27:10.6, followed by Jose Saucedo for ninth place with a time of 27:13.0. All seven were named to the All-Conference Team.

Other Saints finishers include: Sebastian Moreno – 27:31.6 and Robert Rios – 29:03.2.

Jayden Turrubiates was named Freshmen of the Year, and Head Coach Patrick Torres received Coach of the Year honors. 

What’s next
The Saints won the last seven titles dating back to 2015. The team will now prepare for the NAIA’s 67th Annual Men’s Cross-Country National Championship that will take place Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Saints women win eighth RRAC cross-country championship

The women’s cross-country team has won its eighth Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Cross-Country Championships. The event took place Friday morning at the Culebra Creek Park in San Antonio.

The women’s team marked 29 points to win the 5k. The Saints were followed by Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) with 43 points, Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) with 94 points, Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) with 104 points, the University of the Southwest (USW) with 128 points and Jarvis Christian University (JCU) with 139 points.

Nadia Sifuentes captured her second consecutive Individual Medalist Award with a time of 19:00.8. Deandra Ibarra came in third place with a time of 19:10.9. Viridiana Zuniga finished in sixth place with a time of 20:03.4. Mia Curiel came in ninth place with a time of 20:33.4. Sierra Ramirez placed 10th with a time of 20:41.1. All five received All-Conference honors.

Other finishers were Robbie Sue Espericueta, who placed 11th with a time of 20:45.9. Kennedy Villalpando came in 12th place with a time of 20:50.2. Liliana Hernandez finished in 14th place with a time of 21:44.9 and Lindsey Broussard came in 15th place with a time of 21:49.5.

Deandra Ibarra was named Freshmen of the Year, and Head Coach Patrick Torres received Coach of the Year honors.  

The women’s team first won the conference meet in 2013 and repeated in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the University of the Southwest captured the women’s title, with the Saints as runners-up. The Saints returned in 2019 to win and proceeded to capture the title in 2020 and 2021.

Seniors ceremony
After the event and awards ceremony, the university honored seniors Lindsey Broussard, Robbie Sue Espericueta and Nadia Sifuentes, as well as track and field’s Lauren Perry. Each talked about their plans and memories of their time at OLLU.

What’s next
The team will now prepare for the NAIA’s 48th Annual Women’s Cross-Country National Championship that will take place Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Softball crowned RRAC Champions

The softball team split a doubleheader against No. 13-ranked Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) on Saturday. The No. 25-ranked Saints finish the regular season with a 41-9 overall record and 23-5 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) – the best-ever conference finish in program history. The Eagles conclude the regular season at 36-10 overall and 20-6 in the conference. The Saints are crowned RRAC champions and champions of the West Division. Texarkana is the East Division champions.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “Both games were examples of two great teams going head-to-head. I was so proud of the way our team handled the disappointment of losing game one. They stayed on course and found a way to win game two. We will continue to get better while we wait for the conference tournament. I hope the softball fans in San Antonio come out and support this great conference.”

History

The Saints were 4-6 against the Eagles prior to the doubleheader.

Game One, 0-1 (8 innings)

OLLU’s 24-game winning streak was snapped in game one of the doubleheader. Cassandra Valdez (JR/Brownsville, Texas) and Anna Westberry put on a spectacular pitching duel that went into extra innings. The Eagles scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a single with two outs. Valdez suffered the loss despite striking out 10 batters in 7.1 innings. Westberry leads the RRAC with a 1.15 ERA. The Saints were able to string together five hits but failed to score in the 1-0 defeat.

Julissa Moreno (JR/Austin, Texas) batted 1-for-3 with a double. Joanna Gonzalez (SR/San Benito, Texas) made 11 putouts behind the plate.

Game Two, 1-0

Game two was another pitching battle, but the Saints finished the regular season with a 1-0 victory. Ciera Martinez (SR/San Antonio, Texas) started in the circle for the Saints and allowed no earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. Valdez pitched the final 2.2 innings and also didn’t allow a run to earn the win. The lone run came in the top of the sixth inning for the Saints. Ariel Montgomery (SR/Castroville, Texas) singled to score Madison Nunn (SR/Cibolo, Texas). The 1-0 victory marks the 17th shutout for the Saints this season, which ties the program record.

Rebecca Duran (SR/Austin, Texas), Kayla Dreese (SR/San Antonio, Texas), Gonzalez and Montgomery all tallied a hit. Dreese recorded a stolen base and a sacrifice hit.

Saints single-season record-breaking statistics (as of April 23)

  • .341 batting average
  • .559 slugging percentage
  • .449 on-base percentage
  • 20 sacrifice flies
  • 54 home runs
  • 130 stolen bases
  • 41 overall wins
  • 9 overall losses
  • 349 runs scored
  • 5 conference losses
  • 23 conference wins

Up next

The Saints will host the RRAC Championship Tournament from May 5-8. On the first day, the games will be held at St. Mary’s University, while the second day, games will be split between OLLU and St. Mary’s. On May 7-8, all games will take place at OLLU.