OLLU Volleyball Looks Forward to 18th Season
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 8, 2024) – After wrapping up the 2023 season with a 15-1 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) record, the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) volleyball team is determined to begin its quest for a national championship on a positive note.
Since Head Coach Scott Mattera arrived in 2019, the Saints have only suffered six losses in conference for an incredible .903 winning percentage. He is pushing toward his 100th win after posting an 89-34 overall record. He welcomes back Assistant Coach Raven Swain, who was one of the Saints' top performers from 2013-2017. She became a member of the Saints 1,000 Club after 1,188 digs in her career – a record broken last season by incoming senior Tina Trevino, who now has 1,362.
2023 season
With an overall record of 19-12 in 2023, the Saints have won the regular season four consecutive years, with Mattera's team finishing as tournament champions one out of four years. In his second year, the team secured the triple crown—regular season, tournament title, and trip to the NAIA National Championship tournament.
In 2023, the Saints tallied the second-most assists with 1,332, the fourth-most digs with 1,760, the fourth-most solo blocks with 82, and the third-most blocks with 183. The women were twice ranked first in the conference and second in five weeks.
Schedule overview (Numbers after school indicate all-time records.)
RRAC opponents include Paul Quinn College (PQC), Jarvis Christian University (JCU), Louisiana Christian University (LCU), Huston-Tillotson University (HTU), Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT), Texas College (TC), Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) and the University of the Southwest (USW).
The campaign begins with an exhibition against Navarro College on Aug. 10 as part of Family Day at OLLU. The first regular season game is at the Montana Tech Tourney in Butte, Mont. The Saints battle the University of Providence on Aug. 16 at 11 a.m., followed by a match against the University of Central Missouri at 6 p.m. They close the tournament with matchups against Montana State University Northern on Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. and Dakota Wesleyan University (0-1) at 3 p.m. The details listed are Central Time.
Next, the Saints host the Third Annual Alamo City Volleyesta Tourney from Aug. 23-24. The participants include Cumberlands University (CU), Nelson University (NU), Oklahoma City University (OCU), and Eastern Oregon University (EOU). CU vs. NU opens the tournament on Aug. 23 at 10 a.m., followed by OCU vs. EOU at noon. The Saints match up against Nelson University (11-9) at 2:30 p.m. CU plays EOU at 5 p.m., and the Saints play OCU (3-2) at 7 p.m.
NU was ranked No. 19 in the NAIA to close the 2023 season. NU faces EOU at 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, followed by OCU vs. CU at noon, OLLU vs. EOU (0-1) at 2:30 p.m. and OLLU vs. CU to close the tournament at 5 p.m. EOU was the No. 3 team in the NAIA at the conclusion of the 2023 regular season. They advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA Championships and lost to No. 2 ranked Indiana Wesleyan University to finish with a mark of 34-2.
The Saints host another tournament less than a week later. They will put on the Fifth Annual ShinDig Tourney from Aug. 29-31. Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU), Rocky Mountain College (RMC), Ottawa University (OU), John Brown University (JBU) and HTU will compete.
JBU opens against KWU at 10 a.m., followed by RMC vs. OU at noon and OLLU vs. JBU at 2:30 p.m. The last two matches on Friday are KWU vs. HTU at 5 p.m. and OLLU vs. RMC at 7 p.m. OU vs. JBU at 10 a.m. starts play on Aug. 31, with KWU vs. RMC next at noon, JBU vs. RMC at 3 p.m. and OLLU vs. KWU at 5 p.m.
Conference schedule
The Saints play at Schreiner University (16-3) on Sept. 13 before starting the RRAC schedule on Sept. 20. They take on TAMUT (2-0) on Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. and Sept. 21 at 11 a.m. in Texarkana, Texas. The Saints host PQC (7-0) from Sept. 27-28 for the first home matches of the season.
Before starting a six-match home stand, they travel to Hawkins, Texas, to square up against JCU (21-0) on Oct. 4-5. The series includes two games against LCU (4-0) from Oct. 11-12, HTU (29-3) from Oct. 18-19, and TC (26-0) from Oct. 25-26.
Student-athletes with volleyball club shirts get free admission to the Oct. 11 game against LCU. The Saints will also recognize student-athletes with camp shirts with free admission to the Oct. 19 game against HTU. Seniors' Day will be the Texas College match on Oct. 26 at noon.
The Saints will face XULA (5-3) from Nov. 1-2. It will be a rematch of the RRAC Tournament Championship match from last season, in which the Saints fell in five sets. The previously listed series are Friday-Saturday games at 7 p.m. and 12 p.m., respectively. The regular season closes in Hobbs, N.M., against the University of the Southwest from Nov. 8-9. The match times are 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. Central Time.
Conference Tournament
The Saints will host the postseason tournament from Nov. 15-16 after XULA hosted last season. The quarterfinals and semifinals matches will be on Nov. 15, with the championship match taking place on Nov. 16. The first round of nationals will be held at campus sites on Nov. 23, and the final site of nationals will take place Dec. 4-10 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Mattera commented, "The conference tournament being back in San Antonio will offer the chance for our city to see just how good NAIA volleyball can be. We have had some epic battles in the tournament, and I can't wait to fill our stands this fall for our tournament run!"
Returners
The four-year senior squad includes Julissa Casas, Camila Ramirez and Tina Trevino. As a defensive specialist, Casas was second on the team in services aces with 23 and digs with 258. Ramirez, an outside hitter, smashed 320 kills, the second most on the team, and she had the most total attacks with 967. Ramirez also had 113 digs for the Saints. Trevino had an epic year at the libero position, surpassing 1,000 career digs. She finished the season with a team-leading 519 digs.
Other returners include junior outside hitter Mia Dorsey, who recorded 299 kills and 51 blocks; junior setter Lauren Reynard, who had an incredible team-leading 1,106 assists, 30 service aces, plus 190 digs. Junior outside hitter Mia Frances led the team in kills with 340.
Juniors returning include Evelyn Ortega, Ariana Caldera and Julia Anguiano. Returning sophomores are Arianna Moreno, Makaelyn Perez, Chanisty Villarreal Bermea, Deandra Ybarra, Mia Perez, Daniella Saenz and Victoria Urbanczyk.
Newcomers
The first-time Saints are projected to make a huge impact on the team's success this year. They include setter Carly Dossett from Schertz Steele High School and right side Anais Velasquez from San Antonio Johnson High School. Other newcomers include freshmen hitter Olivia Anguiano from Harlingen, Texas / Mary Carroll High School; defensive specialist Josalynn Saldana from San Antonio Marshall High School; middle blocker Nicole Bir from San Antonio Stevens High School; middle blocker Yuridia Flores from San Antonio East Central High School; right side Samantha Watson from San Antonio Marshall High School; outside hitter Chloe Conn from Poth, Texas / Poth High School; and defensive specialist Mikayla Arce from San Antonio Holy Cross High School.
Live-streaming and fan experience
The Saints will live-stream home games with commentary throughout the season. Fans can watch the team on the OLLUSaints Network.
Hear from Head Coach Scott Mattera as he discusses the 2024 season.