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Saints volleyball, soccer players earn All-Conference honors

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Volleyball
Six members of the OLLU volleyball team were named to NAIA All-Conference teams.

Recipients from OLLU are as follows: 
• Attacker of the Year: Mia Francis
• Setter of the Year: Lauren Reynard
• Defender of the Year: Tina Trevino
• Mia Dorsey, Madalyn Gonzalez and Camila Ramirez join Francis, Reynard and Trevino on the All-Conference First-Team. Dorsey, Ramirez, Reynard and Trevino are second-year First-Team honorees. Francis and Gonzalez earned Second-Team honors last year.
• Gonzalez also repeats as the Champions of Character winner this year. 

Women’s Soccer
Four members of the women’s soccer team earn All-Conference honors.

Recipients are:
• Jaylin Seto and Deanna Tarango earned All-Conference Second Team honors. This is Seto’s fourth All-Conference award. She was named to the First Team in 2019 and 2020 and Honorable Mention in 2021. She was second on the team in goals with four, in shots with 36 and in shots on goal with 20. She was first in assists with five. Tarrango won First-Team honors in 2020 and 2022. She started in all 14 games for the Saints as a defender.
• Allison Kostoch is on the All-Freshman Team. 
• Rachel Dziuba also repeats as the Champions of Character winner this year. She also won this award in 2020.

Men’s Soccer
Three from the men’s soccer team were recognized by the NAIA with All-Conference honors.

Recipients are:
• Samuel Villegas earned All-Conference Second-Team honors. He led the team in goals with 10, in shots with 48 and in shots on goal with 28. 
• Louis Nicholson was named to the All-Freshman Team.
• Harry Acklam won the Champions of Character award this year. 


Volleyball wins Conference Title with two victories over Xavier

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The volleyball team won both matches against Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) on Nov. 1 and 2 to be crowned Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular season champions. The Saints enter the conference postseason tournament with an 18-11 overall record and 15-1 conference mark. The Saints earned the No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament with the wins over the Gold Nuggets.

History
The Saints were 5-3 against the Gold Nuggets prior to the matches.

First match (Nov. 1)
Basics
The Saints swept the Gold Nuggets in a thrilling match on Wednesday night. OLLU held Xavier to under .100 hitting percentage in both the second and third sets. Both programs hit over .300 in the first set with the Saints escaping with a 27-25 win. The same score held for the second and third frame as the Saints forced a decisive game two on Thursday night to determine the winner of the RRAC regular season. Mia Francis and Camila Ramirez had double-digit kills while Lauren Reynard assisted on 37 plays. Reynard broke the Saints single season record for assists on Wednesday night.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 27 – XULA 25

Set Two – OLLU 27 – XULA 25

Set Three – OLLU 27 – XULA 25

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 20 kills and five errors on 38 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .395.

The Saints had 14 kills in the second set and 10 errors on 32 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .125.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and nine errors on 45 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .111.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 48 kills for a hitting percentage of .209. Xavier totaled 33 kills for a hitting percentage of .168.

Francis led the Saints with 15 kills. Reynard assisted on 37 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 47 digs, led by Tina Trevino with 18. Madalyn Gonzalez totaled five blocks.

Serving it up
Trevino and Julissa Casas had two service aces each.

Second match (Nov. 2)
Basics
The Saints claimed the RRAC regular season title on Nov. 2 after beating the Gold Nuggets in four sets. Xavier took the first set after the Saints had a -.021 hitting percentage. The Saints turned the tide in the second frame by totaling eight kills and no errors for a .571 hitting percentage. OLLU held Xavier to five points to even the match. The Saints led 21-19 in the third set and broke away for a 25-21 set win, with Ramirez having the final kill to put the Saints up 2-1. The Saints played a sound fourth set and Francis ended the match with a kill with an assist from Reynard. Gonzalez set the Saints single season blocking solo record on Thursday night.

Scoring overview  
Set One – XULA 25 – OLLU 21

Set Two – OLLU 25 – XULA 5

Set Three – OLLU 25 – XULA 21

Set Four – OLLU 25 – XULA 16

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded nine kills and 10 errors on 48 total attacks for a hitting percentage of -.021.

The Saints had eight kills in the second set and no errors on 14 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .571.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 10 kills and six errors on 34 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .118.

The Saints had 10 kills in the fourth set and five errors on 28 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .179.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 37 kills for a hitting percentage of .129. Xavier totaled 37 kills for a hitting percentage of .039.

Francis and Mia Dorsey led the Saints with 11 kills apiece. Reynard assisted on 32 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 53 digs, led by Trevino with 16. Gonzalez totaled five solo blocks and four block assists.

Serving it up
Four different Saints had two service aces each.

Up next
The Saints start play in the RRAC Tournament on Friday in New Orleans.

Volleyball sweeps Southwest

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The volleyball team swept the University of the Southwest in the Red River Athletic Conference two-day series Oct 6 and 7. OLLU is 12-9 overall and 9-1 in conference, while the Lady Mustangs are 0-18 overall and 0-7 in conference.

History
The Saints are 24-4 against the Lady Mustangs. Last year, the Saints won 3-0 and 3-1.

Oct. 6
Basics
The Saints controlled the first set from the start. The Lady Mustangs stayed at four points, while the Saints took a commanding 20-4 lead. USW scored just four more points as the Saints won 25-8.  OLLU allowed only five kills, and the team committed five errors for a zero hitting percentage. Coming into the match, Tina Trevino needed four digs to earn the all-time school record for most digs, and she accomplished the feat in the first set.

In the second set, the Lady Mustangs were limited to six kills, and they committed six errors for a repeat zero hitting percentage. The Lady Mustangs fought hard to have a chance against the Saints but the Saints pulled off the 25-18 win.

The third set started with the Saints taking a 10-1 lead and continued the double-digit advantage through the end to win 25-11.
Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – USW 8
Set Two –  OLLU 25 – USW 18
Set Three – OLLU 25 – USW 11

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 17 kills and two errors on 31 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .484.

The Saints had 16 kills in the second set and four errors on 36 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .333.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 12 kills and four errors on 22 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .364.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 45 kills for a hitting percentage of .393. USW totaled 14 kills for a hitting percentage of -.023.

Mia Francis led the Saints with 13 kills. Lauren Reynard assisted on 39 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 52 digs, led by Tina Trevino with 14. She finished the evening with 1,198 digs to become OLLU’s all-time leader.

Serving it up
Trevino led the Saints with two service aces.

Oct. 7
Basics
With the sweep of USW this weekend, the Saints have won 10 matches with scores of 3-0.

The Saints once again had the momentum in the match as they reached double digits while keeping their opponent to single digits through 17-11. Julissa Casas served to five straight points to give the Saints the 25-13 win.

Mia Francis guided the Saints to five straight points before the Lady Mustangs could put one point on the board. The Mustangs kept the second set close at 7-9 but the Saints kept their composure to win 25-12. 

The Lady Mustangs took a first-time lead in the series in the third set when they went ahead 3-1. A service error tied the score at 4-4, and the Saints regained their dominance to 25-12. 

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 –  USW 13
Set Two – OLLU 25 – USW 12
Set Three – OLLU 25 – USW 12

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and no errors on 28 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .500.

The Saints had 16 kills in the second set and five errors on 34 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .324.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 11 kills and two errors on 24 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .375.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 41 kills for a hitting percentage of .395. USW totaled 21 kills for a hitting percentage of .011.

Camila Ramirez led the Saints with nine kills, while Mia Francis and Madalyn Gonzalez both had eight.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 48 digs, led by Tina Trevino with 13.

Serving it up
Mia Francis led the Saints with three aces.

Volleyball downs Paul Quinn in two matches

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The volleyball team won both matches against Paul Quinn College (PQC) over the weekend. The Saints improve to 9-8 overall and remain undefeated in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play at 6-0. The Tigers drop to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in conference.

History
The Saints were 7-0 against the Tigers prior to the matches.

Friday
Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “We were in control and playing clean volleyball but for some reason we just didn’t come out ready for game three. The serve receive broke down and we allowed them to catch fire. The upperclassmen got it done with Camila Ramirez and Madalyn Gonzalez both finishing with double digit kills and high hitting percentages!”

Basics
The Saints held the Tigers to under .100 hitting percentage on Friday in a four-set victory. The Saints won the first two sets and had a .455 hitting percentage in the first frame. The Tigers took the third set behind 15 kills. OLLU responded with 16 kills and only two errors in the fourth frame to take the match.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – PQC 16

Set Two – OLLU 25 – PQC 21

Set Three – PQC 25 – OLLU 22

Set Four – OLLU 25 – PQC 12

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 18 kills and three errors on 33 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .455.

The Saints had 16 kills in the second set and seven errors on 41 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .220.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 10 kills and three errors on 44 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .159.

 The Saints had 16 kills in the fourth set and two errors on 29 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .483.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 60 kills for a hitting percentage of .313. PQC totaled 37 kills for a hitting percentage of .085.

Gonzalez led the Saints with 16 kills. Lauren Reynard assisted on 45 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 69 digs, led by Tina Trevino with 22. Allison Mata assisted on two blocks.

Serving it up
Reynard and Mia Francis led the Saints with two service aces apiece.

Saturday
Mattera said, “Credit to Paul Quinn College, they took advantage of our complacency and caught us flat footed with tips and dumps. Our pins played well offensively, and we were able to overcome it. This was a good opportunity to learn, and we’ll get that cleaned up at practice this week!”

Basics
The Saints finished play at Paul Quinn with a sweep on Saturday. OLLU hit .462 in the first set and .342 in the third set. The Tigers tested the Saints in the final frame, but OLLU was able to pull out a 26-24 win to remain undefeated in the RRAC. The Saints have never lost to the Tigers with a 9-0 series advantage.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – PQC 23

Set Two – OLLU 25 – PQC 16

Set Three – OLLU 26 – PQC 24

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 21 kills and three errors on 39 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .462.

The Saints had 15 kills in the second set and five errors on 37 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .270.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 16 kills and three errors on 38 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .342.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 52 kills for a hitting percentage of .360. PQC totaled 36 kills for a hitting percentage of .177.

Mia Dorsey and Ramirez led the Saints with 15 kills each. Reynard assisted on 49 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 51 digs, led by Reynard and Julissa Casas with nine each. Gonzalez assisted on three blocks.

Serving it up
Francis led the Saints with three service aces.

Up next
The Saints battle Texas A&M University-Texarkana at home on Friday at 7 p.m.

Volleyball sweeps Texas College

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The volleyball team swept Texas College (TC) in both matches on Friday and Saturday to open Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play. The Saints improve to 5-8 on the season. OLLU has never lost to Texas College with a 28-0 series record.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “There were a lot of new faces on the floor this weekend as sickness sidelined nearly half our players and staff. I’m happy with the way so many performed in their first varsity action and the way experienced leaders like Madalyn Gonzalez and Tina Trevino kept the train on the tracks.”

Friday
Basics
The Saints totaled 38 kills against the Steers on Friday. Texas College struggled with negative hitting percentages in the first and third set. Madalyn Gonzalez had double-digit kills for the Saints while Deandra Ybarra assisted on every play besides three points. Seven different players for the Saints had at least one service ace.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – TC 13

Set Two – OLLU 25 – TC 14

Set Three – OLLU 25 – TC 13

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 14 kills and four errors on 23 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .435.

The Saints had 15 kills in the second set and five errors on 40 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .250.

In the third set, OLLU recorded nine kills and five errors on 33 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .121.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 38 kills for a hitting percentage of .250. TC totaled eight kills for a hitting percentage of -.061.

Gonzalez led the Saints with 12 kills. Ybarra assisted on 33 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 50 digs, led by Tina Trevino with nine. Victoria Urbanczyk assisted on three blocks.

Serving it up
Trevino led the Saints with three service aces.

Saturday
Basics
The Saints followed the sweep on Friday with another impressive performance. They hit over .300 percent in every set, including a .652 hitting percentage in the second set with no errors. The Saints also tallied double digits in every frame and only allowed 11 kills by the Steers. Trevino and Ybarra both had double-digit digs.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – TC 9

Set Two – OLLU 25 – TC 8

Set Three – OLLU 25 – TC 17

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 10 kills and two errors on 26 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .308.

The Saints had 15 kills in the second set and no errors on 23 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .652.

In the third set, OLLU recorded 18 kills and four errors on 33 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .424.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 43 kills for a hitting percentage of .451. TC totaled 11 kills for a hitting percentage of -.015.

Gonzalez led the Saints with 10 kills. Ybarra assisted on 31 plays for OLLU.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 37 digs, led by Ybarra with 11. Karla Candia assisted on four blocks.

Serving it up
Ariana Caldera and Ybarra led the Saints with three service aces each.

Up next
The Saints host Jarvis Christian University on Friday at 7 p.m.

Volleyball wins two of three matches in San Antonio ShinDig

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The OLLU volleyball team won two out of three matches in the San Antonio ShinDig on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the Saints defeated the NAIA’s No. 10-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU), 3-0, followed by a 3-1 loss against Carroll College (CC) to start play on Saturday. 

The Saints finished with a 3-0 victory over Oklahoma City University (OCU) to close the tournament.

Up next

The Saints compete in the GoSarpy.com Labor Day Classic in Bellevue, Neb., on Thursday through Saturday.

Volleyball earns first USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award

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The United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that OLLU has earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award this season. This marks the first time the Saints have been honored for their academic achievements by the AVCA. The award, initiated in the 1992–1993 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale.

The 2022 Saints earned a 3.47 GPA.

“The commitment our coaches make to help their student-athletes pursue the best versions of themselves is evident in the academic accomplishments highlighted today,” said AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “Achievement on the court has always been closely tied to success in the classroom which is reflected by the number of championship programs honored.”

The Saints won the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular season after posting a 21-5 overall record and 16-0 in conference. The team also earned the NAIA Scholar Team award this year.

OLLU’s Gonzalez and Trevino named Academic All-District Volleyball honorees

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Two from OLLU have been selected to the 2022 Academic All-District® Volleyball Team. The program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.

College Sports Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors of American – CoSIDA), such as OLLU’s 16-year member Patricia Constantin, submit nominees for consideration. The organization boasts more than 3,000 members, and all are eligible to vote for all sports teams each year.

The two honorees are Madalyn Gonzalez and Tina Trevino. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot.

Madalyn Gonzalez, a Marketing major, has been part of the Saints team since 2020. She played in 25 matches and 88 sets this year. She recorded 111 kills, 18 digs and 75 blocks. Gonzalez was named to the All-Conference Second Team and was the Champions of Character representative. She earned a 3.74 GPA.

Tina Trevino, a Criminal Justice major, has been part of the Saints team since 2021. She played in 24 matches and 85 sets this year. She marked 51 assists, 417 digs and 19 service aces. Trevino was named Co-Defender of the Year and was part of the All-Conference First Team. She earned a 3.90 GPA.

Volleyball loses marathon championship match to XULA

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The volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller against Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament Championship Match. The Saints are now 21-5 overall. The Gold Nuggets receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Volleyball Championships. Tijana Kruta and Camila Ramirez were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Head Coach Scott Mattera commented, “We knew it was going to be a battle and it was an absolute classic of a championship match. We can analyze all we want but the bottom line is that one single bounce and we are celebrating rather than in tears. The effort was there and I’m so proud of this team. This will be fuel and the future is bright!”

History
The Saints were 5-2 against the Gold Nuggets prior to the match.

Basics
The Saints won a competitive first set 25-22. Ramirez recorded three kills in the final five points and OLLU had three aces. The Gold Nuggets responded in the second set with a .382 hitting percentage. Both teams had double digit kills in the second frame, but Angela Egonu’s power sealed the set for the Gold Nuggets.

The back-and-forth contest continued after the match was evened by Xavier. The Saints forced XULA into 13 errors in the third set. OLLU won the final five points of the set to take a 2-1 lead. The Saints committed costly errors towards the end of the following set. The frame was tied 18-18 and the Gold Nuggets won seven of the next eight points.

Championship honors were on the line in the fifth and deciding set. The Saints jumped out to an 11-8 advantage and forced a timeout by the Gold Nuggets. The teams swapped points and OLLU eventually had a match point at 14-12. Egonu recorded another kill for Xavier and Ramirez followed with an attacking error. Kennedy Wade had a pair of kills following the 14-14 tie to give XULA the title.

Scoring overview
Set One – OLLU 25 – XULA 22
Set Two – XULA 25 – OLLU 17
Set Three – OLLU 25 – XULA 16
Set Four – XULA 25 – OLLU 19
Set Five – XULA 16 – OLLU 14

Set review
In the first set, OLLU recorded 15 kills and seven errors on 36 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .222.

The Saints had 11 kills in the second set and three errors on 31 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .258.

In the third set, OLLU recorded six kills and three errors on 26 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .115.

The Saints had nine kills in the fourth set and seven errors on 34 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .059.

In the fifth set, OLLU recorded five kills and four errors on 29 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .034.

On the offense
Overall, the Saints had 46 kills for a hitting percentage of .141. XULA totaled 63 kills for a hitting percentage of .189.

Ramirez led the Saints with 15 kills. Egonu totaled a team-high 20 kills for the Gold Nuggets.

Lauren Reynard assisted on 40 plays for the Saints. Emi Riglioni tallied 28 assists for the Gold Nuggets.

Defensive standouts
OLLU had a total of 60 digs, led by Ramirez with 22. Linda Mungai tallied 29 digs for XULA.

Serving it up
Ramirez and Julissa Casas had two aces apiece for the Saints. Three different Gold Nuggets players had one service ace each.

What’s next
The Saints will have a chance at a bid to the NAIA Volleyball Championships. The announcements for the 48-team bracket will be made today at 10 a.m.

Seven from OLLU are on the Volleyball All-Red River Team

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The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) announced the 2022 All-RRAC Team and postseason award-winners as voted by the conference’s coaches. The RRAC also recognized student-athletes who best exemplify the tenets of the NAIA Champions of Character program with the Volleyball Champions of Character team. OLLU has seven members included in this year’s team.   

Recipients from OLLU are as follows:

Setter of the Year: Lauren Reynard

Co-Defender of the Year: Tina Trevino

Freshman of the Year: Mia Dorsey

Camila Ramirez joins Reynard, Trevino and Dorsey on the All-Conference First-Team. Both Ramirez and Trevino are second-year honorees.

Second-Team honorees are Mia Francis, Madalyn Gonzalez and Tijana Kruta. Kruta was named to the First Team in 2018 and the Honorable Mention Team in 2019 and Second Team in 2020 and 2021. Gonzalez also adds Champions of Character honors this year.

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