Connor Wexter will begin his fifth season as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago in 2020. Prior to his current post on Mark Hulse’s staff at Loyola, the New Lenox, Ill., native spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Carthage, where he also had a standout career as a player.
In four seasons in Rogers Park, Wexter has helped the Ramblers to 80 victories, four winning seasons, and in 2018, played a key role as Loyola claimed a share of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular season title and finished the year ranked No. 7 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I-II Poll. Loyola’s 23 wins were its most since capturing 28 victories en route to the second of back-to-back NCAA championships in 2015.
Loyola notched at least 20 wins for the third time in Wexter's four year tenure, going 21-8 overall and 12-2 in MIVA action to finish second in the league race. The Ramblers finished the year ranked No. 9 in the AVCA Division I-II Poll, making 2019 the third time Wexter has helped guide a Loyola squad to a Top-10 in the season-ending poll. Collin Mahan became the second All-American Wexter coached during his stay in Rogers Park, as the outside hitter was named AVCA Second Team All-America. Teammates Avery Aylsworth, Paul Narup and Garrett Zolg also collected AVCA Honorable Mention All-America status.
Wexter aided in the development of three individuals who earned AVCA All-America recognition in 2018, as Jeff Jendryk became just the 12thplayer in NCAA Division I-II history to be a four-time All-America performer, earning first team recognition for the second straight season. The Rambler program, which racked up 13 wins versus nationally ranked opponents, also produced four First Team All-MIVA honorees as well as 12 MIVA Academic All-Conference selections. Wexter was instrumental in the rapid rise of setter Garrett Zolg, who was tabbed MIVA Freshman of the Year and became the first Loyola freshman to hand out 1,000 assists since 2005.
During the 2017 campaign, Loyola picked up 16 wins and earned five wins over nationally ranked teams, including a four-set victory over then No. 3 and eventual NCAA runner-up BYU. Jendryk once again earned AVCA All-America recognition, this time picking up first team honors, making him the first player in Loyola history to be a first or second team All-American three or more times. Jendryk was also selected to compete on the U.S. National Team training roster for FIVB World League competition in summer 2017. The Ramblers finished the season ranked No. 14 in the AVCA Division I-II Poll, marking the 18thtime in program history they have been ranked in the season-ending poll.
The 2016 squad posted a 20-8 record for the program’s fourth consecutive 20-win season, while Jendryk earned AVCA Second Team All-America accolades and Peter Hutz and Nick Olson picked up honorable mention recognition. In addition, six Ramblers earned All-MIVA honors, including Hutz and Jendryk, who were first team selections.
Wexter has also served as a coach for USA Volleyball, working for Future Select A1 at the High Performance Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and for A3 in suburban Vernon Hills, Ill. During the summer of 2018, he will coach Youth A1 at High Performance Championships in Tulsa, Okla., and again work with Select A3 in Vernon Hills.
Wexter was a four-year starter at Carthage, racking up AVCA All-America honors each season, including three first-team selections. In 2011, he became the program's second-ever AVCA NCAA Division III Newcomer of the Year, and in 2013 was named the Continental Volleyball Conference Player of the Year. Wexter graduated as the program's all-time leader in assists.
A 2014 graduate of Carthage College, Wexter also earned a Master's of Education degree from Carthage in 2016.
