january 2015 rambler report

Men's VolleyballPreview Issue

National Championships Set to Defend Title in 2015

january 2015

inside:Letter from New AD Steve Watson

Men’s Basketball Brings Home Las Vegas Classic Title

Tom Paparounis Honored with MVC Courage Award

Junior Nick Olson

turning heads in the valley

Milton Doyle drives during the Ramblers’ 71-70 win at Evansville. The come from

behind win featured a clutch stepback three-pointer from Doyle and a buzzer-beating layup by Christian Thomas. The Ramblers are now 12-3 overall and 2-1

in the Missouri Valley.

Doubling downSophomore Taylor Manuel made her Rambler debut in December and has been making a huge impact since joining her teammates on the floor. Averaging 16 points and 9.2 rebounds, Manuel has notched a double-double in three of her first five games as a Rambler.

Men’s Volleyball PreView

Ramblers Set to Defend National Title in 2015The 2014 men’s volleyball season was a magical ride for the Loyola Ramblers: a 29-1 record, four All-America honorees, national coach of the year, national assistant coach of the year, a conference title and the program’s first national championship in May. So what will they do for an encore?

The Ramblers return plenty of firepower for the 2015 season, including five of its seven starters from last year. Senior Cody Caldwell, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 NCAA Championship, and junior All-Americans Thomas Jaeschke and Nick Olson are set to lead the Loyola attack. The trio was named to preseason All-American teams, making Loyola one of two schools to boast three players on the annual list.

Jaeschke, who led the team with 321 kills last year, was the first sophomore to win the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Player of the Year award a year ago and was selected to repeat the same honor in 2015. Caldwell, second on the team in kills per set in 2014, was the star of the NCAA Championship match against Stanford, posting a double-double of 20 kills and 10 digs. Olson returns to the middle of the Loyola lineup, where he led the team with 117 blocks last season.

Sophomore Owen McAndrews, fifth on the team in kills and second in blocks a season ago, and junior setter Peter Hutz, third in the country in assists per seat last year, are the other returning starters. A talented group of freshman, all of whom were ranked in Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 last year, also joins the group.

Loyola enters the season as the preseason favorite in the MIVA and ranked No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll, with Pepperdine holding the top spot.

“It’s great to see our team and players honored by the MIVA coaches in this year’s preseason poll,” said head coach Shane Davis, in his 12th season guiding the Ramblers. “To earn the respect of these coaches is an elite honor. Our players know the challenge ahead of them and look forward to defending the conference title and making a return trip to the NCAA Championship.”

Loyola’s season starts where it hopes it will end. The Ramblers begin the year in Palo Alto, California, the site of the 2015 NCAA Championships, with matches against No. 6 BYU and No. 10 Stanford.

“We start the season right where we left off in May,” said Davis. “Facing BYU and Stanford gives us a Final Four atmosphere in January. Playing them early will give us an indication of where we are as a team and what we need to improve on.”

Four other schools on the Ramblers’ schedule made the AVCA top-15 preseason poll, including MIVA-rivals No. 9 Lewis, No. 14 Ohio State, and No. 15 IPFW. Loyola will also play two matches against No. 3 Penn State, one in Chicago and one in Happy Valley. The 2014 national championship banner will be unveiled in Gentile Arena at Loyola’s first home game, a January 17 match against Harvard.

“It’s a big advantage to have 14 matches on our home court,” said Davis. “Our fan base while hosting the NCAA Championships last year was terrific and we look forward to the Loyola community showing their support again this upcoming season.”

Rambler Report • January 2015 •

Cody Caldwell and the men’s volleyball team celebrate winning the NCAA Championship last May

Men’s Volleyball PreView

2015 Schedule:Fri., Jan. 9 – vs. BYU (@Stanford), 7pmSat., Jan. 10 - @Stanford, 9pmSat., Jan. 17 – vs. Harvard, 4pmFri., Jan. 23 - @Penn State, 6pmSat., Jan. 24 - @St. Francis (PA), 6pmFri., Jan. 30 – vs. Sacred Heart, 7pmSat., Jan. 31 – vs. Barton, 7pmSat., Feb. 7 - @McKendree, 4pmThur., Feb. 12 - @IPFW, 6pmSat., Feb. 14 – vs. Ball State, 7pmFri., Feb. 20 – vs. Erskine, 7pmSat., Feb. 21 – vs. Penn State, 7pmThur., Feb. 26 – vs. Quincy, 7pmSat., Feb. 28 – vs. Lindenwood, TBAMon., Mar. 9 – vs. Lewis, 7pmSat., Mar. 14 - @Ohio State, 6pmWed., Mar. 18 – vs. Grand Canyon, 7pmThur., Mar. 19 – vs. Grand Canyon, 7pmThur., Mar. 26 – vs. IPFW, 7pmSat., Mar. 28 - @Ball State, 6:30pmWed., Apr. 1 - @Lewis, 7pmFri., Apr. 10 - @Quincy, 7pmSat., Apr. 11 - @Lindenwood, 7pmFri., Apr. 17 – vs. McKendree, 7pmSat., Apr. 18 – vs. Ohio State, 7pmApr. 24-May 1 – MIVA TournamentMay 5-May 9 – NCAA Tournament (Palo Alto, CA)

Meet the NewcomersThe Ramblers said goodbye to five seniors off last year’s national championship squad, but head coach Shane Davis has reloaded his roster with a historically talented group of freshman. All six newcomers were Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selections last year, highlighted by opposite hitter Ben Plaisted and middle hitter Jeff Jendryk. Plaisted, a Wisconsin native, and Jendryk, from Wheaton, both earned high school All-America honors their senior seasons and spent the summer in El Salvador with the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team.

Loyola and Stanford were the only two schools to have a pair of recruits on the High School All-America team and the Ramblers were the only non-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation school to have any representation.

Libero Jake Selsky of Cary, setter Kyle Foley of Kirkwood, MO, opposite hitter Ricky Gevis of Naperville, and outside hitter Ryan Jamison of Langhorne, PA round out the highly-touted freshman class.

National Championship Celebration EventsSaturday, January 17 vs. Harvard at 4:00pmNational Championship Banner Unveiling Ceremony

Saturday, January 31 Men’s Basketball vs. Illinois State at 1:00pmNational Championship Ring Presentation


Head Coach Shane Davis

letter froM steVe watson


Dear Rambler Family,

I cannot be more excited to finally get started as your next Director of Athletics at Loyola University Chicago. I was extremely impressed by the University’s commitment to excellence on the field and in the classroom and ensuring that our student-athletes are prepared to do great things after they earn their degree.

I would like to tell you a little bit about my professional journey that has led me to Loyola. I have 16 years of experience in many different areas of intercollegiate athletics and proudly served as the Director of Athletics at St. Bonaventure University for the last eight years. While at St. Bonaventure, I took great pride in our men’s basketball team winning the Atlantic-10 Conference title for the first time in school history and the other sports also achieved great things in an extremely competitive league.

Prior to St. Bonaventure, I spent six years at Eastern Michigan, working in facilities for a year before overseeing internal operations for five years, and began my administrative career doing marketing at Dayton and Georgia.

It is that wide-range of experience as well as endless passion and enthusiasm that I bring to the office every day. Together with my administrative staff and our great group of coaches, I know we can continue to make progress and take Loyola athletics to new heights.

I look forward to meeting each and every one of you at a Loyola event in the coming months and thank you for your support of Rambler athletics!

Onward LU!

Steve WatsonDirector of Athletics

loyola basketball UPdates Ramblers Bring Home Las Vegas Classic Title in Impressive Month of DecemberAfter dropping an 83-70 decision to Tulane in early December, Loyola went on a tear with seven consecutive victories in the month, its longest winning streak since the 2010-11 season. The Ramblers defeated cross-city rival UIC and Jackson State before going 4-0 in the Las Vegas Classic including wins over Texas Tech and Boise State to claim the tournament championship. Loyola ended the month with a 64-49 Missouri Valley Conference opening win against Bradley.

Defense was the name of the game during the seven-game winning streak as Loyola held its opponents to just 50.3 points per game. In fact, the 285 points the Ramblers allowed in the last six games of the winning

streak were the fewest points the program permitted in any six-game stretch since the 1948-49 season. A 67-58 loss at No. 23 Northern Iowa on January 4th snapped the streak. However, Loyola has already surpassed its win total from last season, the only team in the country that won 10 or more games last season to do so. Loyola currently sits at 12-3 overall and 2-1 in Missouri Valley play.

Both at nearly 13 points per game, senior Christian Thomas, who sits at 30th on Loyola’s all-time scoring list, and sophomore Milton Doyle continue to lead the Ramblers offensively. Doyle has also been an effective distributor this season, dishing out a team-high 51 assists on the year. Despite its lack of height, Loyola is nearly even with its opponents in rebounding on the season. The Ramblers have been hitting the glass by committee, with junior Montel James (4.4 rpg), Thomas (4.2), Doyle (3.7), freshman Donte Ingram (3.6), and senior Joe Crisman (3.4) leading the way.

A big key to the early success has been the increased depth on the roster, as 10 Ramblers are averaging double-digit minutes thus far. In addition, the seven-man group of Loyola rookies has pitched in 30.9 points per game in the first 14 outings, accounting for 46 percent of the scoring on the season. On the heels of a 21-point performance in a win over Jackson State, junior guard Earl Peterson was named the conference’s Newcomer of the Week in mid-December. Peterson has been a boost to the team’s frontcourt this season, averaging 21.6 minutes and 7.4 points per game.

Upcoming Schedule:Jan. 11 – vs. Wichita State, 4pmJan. 14 – vs. Drake, 7pmJan. 18 - @Southern Illinois, TBAJan. 21 – vs. Evansville, 7pmJan. 24 - @Indiana State, 12pmJan. 28 - @Wichita State, TBAJan. 31 – vs. Illinois State, 1pm


Junior Earl Peterson

MVC CoUrageoUs award

Paparounis Honored with MVC Courage Award after Battle with CancerThe Missouri Valley Conference presents the Most Courageous Award to a student-athlete, coach, or administrator who demonstrates unusual courage in the face of personal illness, adversity or tragedy and whose behavior reflects honor on the institution and the conference.

Tom Paparounis, assistant women’s soccer coach at Loyola, was honored with the 2014 MVC Most Courageous Award after his battle with testicular cancer. The award represents the determination and perseverance Tom displayed from his original diagnosis, through treatments, and his subsequent return to good health. Paparounis wrote the following letter for the Rambler Report to talk about the award and his battles through cancer. In June of 2013, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Sitting with my brother in a doctor’s office and hearing the word cancer, I feared the worst. I didn’t know anything about testicular cancer. It wasn’t until I was put in touch with an amazing organization called Immerman Angels that I was able to fully grasp what was happening and how I could get through it. Their one-on-one support for people and their families going through cancer was invaluable to me. I was so fortunate to be in remission for our 2013 fall season and get the chance to be a part of the season. The fall was tough for me, but when I stepped onto the field for training I was able to put my problems aside. Coming to practice every morning and working with the team helped me forget.

There was a 50/50 chance the cancer was going to come back. Unfortunately it did and I had to go through 12 weeks of pretty intense chemotherapy last winter. The team and the entire Loyola community were a constant support for me during what has been the scariest time of my life. The letters and emails

from the girls on the team and texts and phone calls from the staff really did brighten up some dark days. I can’t help but relate the ups and the downs of what I went through to athletics. Dealing with failure and setback and getting up again and giving it everything you have is what college athletics is all about. That is what life is all about. Over the past year and a half I have spoken with many people who have battled or are battling cancer. They all say the same thing: “It has made me a better person”. There is a 99% chance I am finished with this battle but it still has made me acutely aware of my own mortality. I’d like to think it has made me a better person. I have cried and laughed more than I ever have and certainly don’t take anything for granted, including my health. I am very thankful to Loyola University, the women’s soccer program, and the Missouri Valley Conference for their support.


Tom Paparounis

loyola sPirit teaMs

Loyola Dance Team Heads to NationalsIf you’ve been to a Loyola basketball game at Gentile Arena, you have enjoyed Loyola dance team performances at halftime and during timeouts. In January, the squad will take its talents to the most prestigious college dance competition in the country. The Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) & the Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships return to Orlando, Florida from January 16-18 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports and Loyola will be well represented.

“Our dance team has been working incredibly hard this semester fundraising and learning innovative choreography, all while maintaining a 3.42 team GPA in the fall,” said Kaneidra Everson, Loyola’s spirit program coordinator and four-year dance team member during her time as a student in Rogers Park. “Since the new year started, we’ve begun two-a-day practices in preparation for Nationals.”

Loyola is in its sixth year of competition at the championships and is currently ranked fourth in the nation in the Division I Pom category. The dance team will compete in both the Pom and Jazz categories. Fellow Missouri Valley Conference institutions Missouri State, Northern Iowa, and Southern Illinois will also be represented in Orlando.


Loyola Dance Team

raMblings


Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Raises $400 For Loyola GivesThe Loyola University Chicago Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) raised over $400 as part of Loyola Gives, the University’s annual holiday giving program. Done in conjunction with Catholic Charities’ Sponsor-A-Family Program, different departments throughout the university sponsor families in need by raising money and purchasing requested items.

This year, Loyola’s student-athletes decided to partake on their own, without the assistance of coaches or administrators. SAAC sponsored a family with a mother of similar age to many of our student-athletes, raising the money to purchase gifts for the single mother and her child. Each SAAC member was charged with informing their respective team and collecting money from teammates.

“Sometimes we lose track of how lucky a lot of us are,” said SAAC Executive Board member and men’s soccer student-athlete Tim Dobrowolski. “I think donating money and gifts is one way that a college student, like myself, can give back. As athletes, we tend to make everything a competition, so my team had a competition to see which class could raise the most money to make a difference for this family.”

Thanks to the generosity of Loyola student-athletes, a family of two had a few more reasons to smile this holiday season.

Chicago Fire Acquire Former Rambler Eric GehrigEric Gehrig, a former standout with the Loyola University Chicago men’s soccer team, has been acquired by the Chicago Fire Soccer Club of Major League Soccer. Gehrig, who has spent the last four seasons with the Columbus Crew, was selected in the 10th round of the Expansion Draft by Orlando City FC before the Fire acquired the Right of First Refusal for the defender in exchange for the team’s second round pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.

Gehrig, a three-time All-Horizon League First Team honoree during his time in Rogers Park, starred for the Ramblers from 2006-09. The Schereville, Ind. native helped the Maroon & Gold to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2006 and 2008, two Horizon League Tournament titles and the 2007 Horizon League regular season championship. In addition to his all-league honors, Gehrig was also recognized as an All-Great Lakes Region Second Team selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2008.

Gehrig successfully carried that success over to the professional level with the Crew, making a career-high 20 appearances this past season, highlighted by earning 14 starting assignments. He also made a pair of postseason appearances for the Crew in 2014, starting in the second leg of the team’s matchup with the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

SAAC gifts for “Loyola Gives”

Eric Gehrig

loyola basketball UPdates

Newcomers Manuel, Lambrigtsen Shine for women's basketballThe emergence of sophomore Taylor Manuel and freshman Sam Lambrigtsen has been a bright spot for the Ramblers (2-11, 0-2 MVC), who find themselves in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.

Manuel, a transfer from Purdue, has been dynamite in her five games of action since her eligibility began in December. The St. Louis native is averaging 16.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and has recorded three double-doubles in the last four games. Manuel appears to be getting stronger with each outing. Last weekend, Manuel posted a 20-point, 10-rebound performance against Drake before besting that effort with 21 points and 15 rebounds against Northern Iowa.

Lambrigtsen, a freshman from Oregon, Illinois, has come on of late since taking over the bulk of the point guard duties. She is averaging 13.6 points in her last three games and produced a doub le-doub le in the Ramblers’ 75-58 loss to Northern Iowa.

The injury bug has struck Loyola again in the early going, just as it did a year ago. Seniors Simone Law, Courtney

Lindfors, and Katie Faught, sophomore Taylor Johnson, and freshmen Destiny Washington and Katie Salmon have missed different parts of the season due to injuries, often leaving head coach Sheryl Swoopes with a short bench.

Upcoming Schedule:Jan. 8 - @Evansville, 7pmJan. 11 - @Indiana State, 1pmJan. 16 – vs. Missouri State, 7pmJan. 18 – vs. Wichita State, 2pmJan. 25 – vs. Bradley, 2pmJan. 30 - @Southern Illinois, 6pmFeb. 1 - @Illinois State, 12pm


Freshman Sam Lambrigsten

Sophomore Taylor Manuel

MEET US IN

ST. LOUIS

Hundreds of Loyolans

Thrilling College Hoops

First Class Accommodations

Rambler Glory

ARCH MADNESS!

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MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCEMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

MARCH 5–8, 2015

ALL SESSION PASSES $135

LUC.edu/archmadness

MARCH MADNESS QUALIFICATION To the winner of Arch Madness

RENAISSANCE GRAND ST. LOUIS HOTEL $145 + tax per night

january 2015 rambler report

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