rambler report - december 2015

schoendorf specialsenior named mvc player of the year

DECEMBER 2015

inside:loyola among nation’s best in gsr report

cross country with strong regional finish

basketball updates

The Ramblers line up for the National Anthem before the start of their 2015-16 season. The year began with a 76-64 victory against UTSA. Milton Doyle led the way with 20 points and was one of four Ramblers in double-digits, including Montel James, Earl Peterson, and Devon Turk.

let's get it started

back & better than ever

Redshirt junior Taylor Johnson looks refreshed after a couple of injury-

marred seasons. Johnson leads the team in minutes (32.8 mpg) and

assists (23) and is second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg). Johhnson

filled the stat sheet in an 82-71 win over Lamar with 9 points, 10 assists,

3 steals, and 2 blocked shots.

singin' in the rainSenior Tim Dobrowolski celebrates in the rain after Loyola’s 1-0 victory over Missouri State in a MVC quarterfinal match. Dobrowolski was named the conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year for the second season in a row and leaves Loyola as the program’s career leader in shutouts.

Men’s BasketBall Update

Rambler Report • December 2015 •

The Ramblers opened the 2015-16 season with a 4-3 month of November, knowing their best basketball lay ahead. Loyola has been perfect at home with wins over UTSA, Eureka, and Toledo, a game that saw the Ramblers turn an 18-point deficit into a seven-point victory.

An experienced back court has led the way for the Ramblers offensively. Junior Milton Doyle is averaging a team-best 14 points a game and is second on the team in rebounds with 34. Sharpshooting senior Devon Turk is second on the team in scoring with a 13-point average, draining a team-high 16 three-pointers in the process. Senior Earl Peterson leads the Ramblers with 25 assists, while rounding out the top scorers with an 11.3 average.

Uncharacteristic cold shooting has doomed Loyola in its three setbacks. The Ramblers are averaging 74 points and are shooting nearly 50 percent in victories, but are struggling from the field in their defeats. Loyola is averaging just 57 points and shooting only 36 percent in losses. Loyola was a 47-percent shooting team a season ago.

replacing the ct productionAlthough the Ramblers returned eight of its top nine scorers from a year ago, one challenge this season has

been replacing the steady production of Christian Thomas, the one departure. Thomas led Loyola last season in minutes, points and rebounds and gave the Ramblers a lot of grit down low.

Senior Montel James has been counted on to shoulder a bigger load this season and has responded by averaging 9.1 points a game and leading the team in rebounds through the first seven games. Head coach Porter Moser has used a combination of sophomores Donte Ingram, Julius Rajala, and Maurice Kirby, along with freshman Pernell Adgei, to accompany James in the front court.

November results (4-3)Nov. 13 – vs. UTSA, W 76-64Nov. 14 – vs. Eureka, W 84-51Nov. 18 - @ New Mexico, L 51-75Nov. 21 – vs. Toledo, W 69-62Nov. 25 – vs. San Diego, W 67-57*Nov. 27 – vs. Toledo, L 74-82*Nov. 28 – vs. UNC Asheville, L 48-59**GCI Great Alaska Shootout

Upcoming schedule:Dec. 5 – vs. Creighton, 1 p.m.Dec. 13 – @ Notre Dame, 1 p.m.Dec. 16 – vs. Cleveland State, 7 p.m.Dec. 19 – vs. UIC, 3 p.m.Dec. 21 – vs. Western Illinois, 7 p.m.Dec. 30 – vs. Southern Illinois, 7 p.m.

men's basketball searching for rhythmramblers undefeated at gentile arena in early going

$40 package includes:-Game Ticket

-Round-trip transportation to South Bend

luc.edu/RamblersAtND773.508.WOLF

Junior Milton Doyle

aroUnd the MVC


Around the mvcNorthern Iowa provided a thrill for Panther fans when it downed then-No. 1 North Carolina 71-67 on its home court in Cedar Falls. The victory marked the first time in the 109-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference that a non-conference No. 1 team lost to an MVC team on its home court. The league now has eight wins against No. 1 teams since the AP poll began in 1949.

Preseason favorite Wichita State has dropped out of the national rankings after a 2-4 start, playing mostly without injured senior guard Fred VanVleet. Southern Illinois, picked ninth in the preseason poll, has been the early surprise in the conference with a 6-1 record and No. 25 RPI ranking.

Evansville is also off to a quick start, led by senior guard D.J. Balentine. The nation’s active career leading scorer with 1,886 points, Balentine currently ranks No. 21 all-time in the MVC.

MVC STandings

School Conference OverallSouthern Illinois 0-0 6-1Evansville 0-0 6-1Northern Iowa 0-0 5-1Loyola 0-0 4-3Drake 0-0 4-3Indiana State 0-0 3-3Illinois State 0-0 3-5Wichita State 0-0 2-4Missouri State 0-0 1-5Bradley 0-0 1-7

Men’s soCCer reCap


Although the season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a loss in the conference semifinals on penalty kicks, the Ramblers did not return to Chicago empty-handed. Eight members of the team earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, including some of the conference’s top awards.

Senior Eric Schoendorf earned the Valley’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, the first player in conference history to receive both honors in the same season. The First-Team All-MVC selection was a stalwart in the vaunted Rambler defense this year, starting 18 games for a defense that boasted a sparkling 0.40 goals against average, which led the Valley and is currently in the top five nationally.

Another key piece to the Loyola defense was the much-celebrated senior Tim Dobrowolski, who earned MVC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season. Another First-Team All-MVC selection, Dobrowolski led the conference in goals against average (0.40) and shutouts (11). The 11 clean sheets have given Dobrowolski the top spot on Loyola’s career shutout record list with 23.

Sophomores Elliot Collier and Kyle Thomson landed on the Second Team, along with senior Daniel Hare and freshman Fabian Lifka. With a team-best three goals on the year, including the game-winner in the Ramblers’ 1-0 win over Missouri State in the MVC tournament quarterfinals, Lifka was also named to the Valley’s All-Freshman team along with Connor

Stevenson. Junior Kirill Likhovid earned Honorable Mention.

Loyola closed the season with a final record of 10-4-5, recording its highest win total since 2008. The Ramblers also continued their strong play at Loyola Soccer Park, going 5-0-2 and extending their home unbeaten run to 19 games.

Hare, schoendorf claim academic honorsA pair of center backs for Loyola also were recognized for excellence in the classroom. Eric Schoendorf and Daniel Hare both earned MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors as first team selections. Schoendorf sports a 3.75 GPA as an Accounting and Finance double major, while Hare holds a 3.84 GPA as a Sport M a n a g e m e n t major.

Ramblers Clean up MVC Awards Schoendorf Earns Player of the Year Honors

Ramblers with their MVC awards

MVC Player of the Year Eric Schoendorf


WoMen’s soCCer reCap

penalty kick loss in mvc championship ends seasonLoyola entered the MVC women’s soccer championships as the tournament’s No. 5 seed, and after upset wins over No. 4 Illinois State and top-seeded Drake, the Ramblers found themselves one win away from the program’s fourth NCAA tournament bid.

Second-seeded Evansville was the Ramblers opponent and the two squads battled to a scoreless draw in double overtime, before the Purple Aces bested Loyola in penalty kicks, 5-3.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group of young women,” head coach Barry Bimbi said. “It’s not an easy way for your season or career to end, but our seniors have left a legacy of accountability, passion, trust, family, and positivity, and for that, I’m thankful. Many thanks to Stephanie Heys, Kristin Rodriguez, Jessica Bean, and our two strong captains, Kara Ruffolo and Mariah Vichich, for their commitment to our program.”

The Ramblers closed out the 2015 campaign with a 9-7-5 final record, the program’s most victories since the 2008 season. The future looks bright for the Ramblers, who are set to welcome back 20 letterwinners from this season’s squad when the Ramblers return to action in 2016.

six honored with mvc awardsLeading the way for the Maroon & Gold in conference awards was senior Mariah Vichich, a fixture on the Rambler backline all season helping Loyola post a 1.12 goals against average that ranked second in the conference.

Freshman Jenna Szczesny and juniors Shelby Koch and Hailey Merrill earned spots on the Second Team. Koch finished the year with a career-best three goals. Sophomore Maddie Ford and freshman Taylor Lambouris were named to the Honorable Mention List. Ford finished the year with nine shutouts, breaking the single-season school record set by Monica Gonyo in 2012.

Vichich and Ford also earned spots on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team. Vichich boasts a 3.60 GPA as an Economics and Finance double major, while Ford holds a 3.76 GPA as a Biology major.

Szczesny wins MVC freshman of the year honorNot only did Szczesny earn Second Team accolades, the Hoffman Estates, Ill. native was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. Szczesny put together a stellar rookie campaign, tying for the team lead in goals (5), while leading the Ramblers in assists (5), points (15), and shots (56) as she appeared in all 21 games. No stranger to accolades, Szczesny came to Loyola as a two-time Gatorade Illinois Women’s Soccer Player of the Year in high school.

late-season run ends just short of ncaa tournament

Senior Mariah Vichich

Freshman Jenna Szczesny

WoMen’s VolleyBall reCap

volleyball puts together 20-win seasonThe 2015 Loyola women’s volleyball team entered the season with seven newcomers and questions about who would fill key roles during the year. The Ramblers responded to those questions, putting together their first 20-win season since 2004 and reaching the Missouri Valley Conference tournament for the first time in program history. The 20 victories also mark an 11-win improvement from a year ago.

Some of the newcomer questions were answered by freshmen Amanda Cushen and Gabi Maciagowski. Cushen finished the season second on the team in both kills (240) and kills per set average (2.55), while Maciagowski was sixth on the team in those categories.

Although Loyola was terrific away from Gentile Arena this season, compiling an 8-4 road record and a 7-0 neutral site ledger, the Ramblers were not able to get by Missouri State in the MVC quarterfinals and ended their season with a 20-12 record.

The Ramblers will return 11 letterwinners next season, but are forced to say goodbye to seniors Brittany Brown, Kathleen Vogel, Maureen Carls, and Stephanie Kinane. Carls put a cap on her Loyola career by hitting .356, good for second in the Ramblers’ single-season record book. Kinane leaves Loyola as the Ramblers all-time career leader in digs with 1,938.

trio earn second team all-mvcJuniors Sami Hansen and Morgan Reardon, along with sophomore setter Caroline Holt, earned all-league honors for the first time in their careers.

Reardon ended the season as Loyola’s leader with 3.18 kills per set, which also ranks sixth in the Valley. Reardon was also efficient on defense all season, as she posted 12 double-doubles and ranked second on the team in digs per set (2.82).

Hansen was Loyola’s most efficient attacker all season, as her team-high hitting clip of .372 not only ranks fourth in the Valley, but is also the highest hitting percentage in

a single season in program history. Hansen entered the program record books for her defense as well, as her team-high 0.90 blocks per set rank ninth all-time at Loyola. She helped the Rambler defense hold its opponents to a conference-leading .177 hitting clip over the course of the season.

Holt orchestrated a Rambler offense that ended the season ranked third in the

Valley in kills per set (13.79), while the team’s average of 13.01 assists per set ranks second in the league. She led the team with 8.55 assists per set and also totaled a team-high 29 service aces.

ramblers raise $1,595 towards cancer researchLoyola’s Oct. 9 match against Illinois State served as the team’s annual “Kill Cancer Challenge” as fans were encouraged to pledge at least $1 for every Rambler kill during the match, with the proceeds benefiting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Ramblers rose to the occasion, racking up a season-high 55 kills in the three-set match to raise a total of $1,595.

Valley Sends Four to NCAAsFor the third time in league history, four MVC volleyball teams were selected as part of the field of 64 to play for the 2015 NCAA national title. Regular-season and tournament champion Wichita State is joined by at-large selections Missouri State, Northern Iowa, and Southern Illinois. The Ramblers defeated each of those tournament teams during the regular season, with the exception of a pair of five-set losses to Wichita State.


Senior Kathleen Vogel

Junior Sami Hansen

WoMen’s BasketBall Update


New faces spark ramblers to start seasonFreshman Dakota Vann and junior college transfer Nieka Wheeler have joined returning starters Taylor Manuel, Taylor Johnson, and Sam Lambrigtsen to spark an improved Rambler squad in the month of November.

Manuel, the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year, is once again leading the Ramblers with 17.4 points a game and nearly eight rebounds per contest. Almost two years removed from surgery, Johnson has returned to form, scoring 12.6 points per game and leading the team with 23 assists.

However, it’s the newcomers who are combining with the veterans that have given head coach Sheryl

Swoopes optimism heading into the final month of non-conference play. Wheeler is averaging 11.8 points per game with 6.4 rebounds and gives the Ramblers another post presence to divert attention away from Manuel. Vann’s athleticism from the wing also has given Swoopes another reliable scoring option (7.4 ppg).

rambler swat teamOne of the reasons that Loyola ranked near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage defense last season was based upon its ability to cause havoc in the paint by blocking shots. Loyola led the Valley in blocks, swatting 180 shots

(5.8 bpg) in 31 contests. The Ramblers closed the 2014-15 season ranked 13th nationally as a team in the category.

Loyola is once again at the top of the Valley chart in the category in the early stages of this season, averaging a staggering 7.4 rejections per game.

November Results (2-3)Nov. 13 – @ Georgia Tech, L 77-84Nov. 17 – @ Eastern Illinois, W 86-75 (OT)Nov. 21 – vs. Miami (FL), L 50-77Nov. 25 – vs. Central Michigan, L 59-68Nov. 28 – vs. Lamar, W 82-71

December Schedule:Dec. 2 – vs. Western Michigan, 7 p.m.Dec. 6 – @ Michigan State, 1 p.m.Dec. 13 – vs. Northwestern, 2 p.m.Dec. 16 – @ Green Bay, 7 p.m.Dec. 21 – @ DePaul, 12 p.m.Dec. 28 – @ Rice, 7 p.m.

MVC standingsSchool Conference OverallDrake 0-0 6-0Northern Iowa 0-0 3-2Missouri State 0-0 3-4Loyola 0-0 2-3Southern Illinois 0-0 2-3Bradley 0-0 2-3Indiana State 0-0 2-6Evansville 0-0 1-4Illinois State 0-0 1-5Wichita State 0-0 1-4

Junior Nieka Wheeler

Freshman Dakota Vann

loyola among nation's best in ncaa's latest gsr reportLoyola continued to show it belongs among the nation’s elite, recording its highest-ever Graduation Success Rate (GSR) score according to the latest figures released last month by the NCAA. The Ramblers’ 98 percent GSR puts them in a tie for third nationally and is tops among Missouri Valley institutions. In addition, it marks the sixth consecutive year Loyola has improved its GSR score.

Loyola’s overall score of 98 put the Ramblers behind only Dartmouth and Samford in the rankings and equal to 11 other schools, including Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Princeton, Stanford and Yale.

Nine of Loyola’s eleven programs posted a perfect score of 100 in the report, with men’s basketball’s mark of 92 the best among Valley schools. Women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s cross country/track & field, women’s soccer and softball all received a perfect 100.

The GSR was developed to more accurately assess the academic success of student-athletes. The rate holds institutions accountable for transfer students, unlike the federal graduation rate. The GSR also accounts for midyear enrollees and is calculated for every sport. Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are included in the receiving institution’s GSR cohort.

Women's cross country with best regional finish in program historyBoth the men and the women cross country teams competed at the NCAA Midwest Regional at Kansas to wrap up the 2015 season. The women’s squad totaled 292 points to place ninth, ahead of a trio of regionally-ranked teams, and capture the highest finish since the meet was established in 2005.

Sophomore Lindsey Brewis led Loyola with the best performance of her career, clocking a personal-best time of 21:25 to place 34th overall. Ericka Laviste wrapped up a stellar senior season that saw her score points for the Ramblers at every meet that she competed in and was the second Rambler to cross the finish line at the Regional meet with a time of 21:31 to place 51st overall.

Freshman Julia Demko and sophomore Emma Hatch also kept their season scoring streaks alive, as Demko (21:33) placed 56th and Hatch (21:45) took 69th, while senior Hannah Magnuson scored points at the regional meet for the first time in her career after clocking a time of 21:52 to place 78th overall.

“The goal was to finish in the top-10, and the women did all that and more,” said head coach Randy Hasenbank. “Lindsey, Ericka, Julia and Emma kept a tight pack for much of the race, and Lindsey ran great the last kilometer. It was a really solid performance by the ladies. It was great to see three underclassmen in our top four spots, and it was a great result for our seniors. Just a terrific improvement over last year.”

The men placed 20th, with senior Mitch Baum leading the Ramblers by placing 69th with a personal-best time of 31:38, while junior Chandler Diffee crossed the finish line with a time of 31:47 to take 81st.


raMBlings

Senior Ericka Laviste

rambler report - december 2015

Documents