Sondra Parys has been a part of the revitalization of the Loyola University Chicago women’s volleyball program, and will begin her fourth season as an assistant coach in 2021. Parys has helped lead the Ramblers to three consecutive winning seasons, the first time the program has posted a winning record in three straight years since doing so in eight consecutive campaigns from 1997 through 2004.
The 2020-2021 season was unlike any other as teams battled through the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite coping with multiple injuries, the youthful Ramblers, who had just two upperclassmen on the roster, played their best volleyball at season’s end and advanced all the way to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title match, finishing the year with an 11-9 record. A pair of freshmen were impact players in their inaugural season of collegiate volleyball, with outside hitter Emily Banitt and libero Grace Hinchman earning MVC All-Freshman Team recognition, giving Loyola four selections to that squad over the last two seasons. Loyola also picked up its first-ever victories against perennial Valley power, Northern Iowa, splitting the regular-season series before disposing of the Panthers in the MVC Championship semifinal round.
In 2019, the Ramblers put together one of their most successful seasons in over a decade, as they established a single-season program record for conference wins, regardless of league affiliation, by going 14-4 in MVC action, en route to a second-place finish, the program’s best since joining the league. Loyola, which was picked fifth in the league’s preseason poll, closed out the season with 21 wins, its most since 2004.
Outside hitter Addie Barnes was tabbed MVC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Rambler ever to receive that honor. In addition, Barnes and fellow rookie Taylor Venuto garnered First Team All-MVC and MVC All-Freshman Team recognition, while Heather Kocken collected Second Team All-MVC designation. Loyola notched its first win over local rival Northwestern since 2008 when it outlasted the Wildcats in five sets.
Off the court, Maddy Moser became the first Loyola volleyball player ever to be hailed as the MVC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the libero also closed out her illustrious tenure in Maroon and Gold ranked third on the school’s career digs list with 1,706 digs. As a team, Loyola earned a American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award and also picked up the AVCA Community Voting Award.
During the 2018 campaign, Parys helped the Ramblers post a winning record for the first time since 2015, while also being one of only 18 NCAA Division I programs to boast at least a 10-game improvement in the win column from 2017. In addition, Loyola raced out of the gate, winning eight of its first 11 matches, winning two in-season tournament championships. Senior Gabi Maciagowski capped an impressive career by notching her 1,000th career kill and ended her time in a Rambler uniform ranked 10th on Loyola’s all-time chart with 1,104 stops. Loyola led the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks with 2.40 per set, the most in a single season since 2007, and thanks to their work in the classroom, seniors Alex Nunez and Morgan Gresham were named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team.
Parys arrived in Rogers Park after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Queens University of Charlotte. While at Queens, she helped the Royals to back-to-back NCAA appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2016, as well as the program’s first South Atlantic Conference Championship title. Prior to her stint at Queens, she served two years as an assistant coach at The Citadel, from 2014-15.
“Sondra brings some terrific experience from Queens University and has been a great asset on the recruiting trail and on the court with our player development,” Loyola head coach Amanda Berkley said. “Sondra is competitive, a hard worker, and a great person who is a perfect fit for our program and here at Loyola.”
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Parys also has served as a head coach at both Lake Norman and Charleston Juniors Volleyball Club. She also served as the head coach at Maumee High School in Maumee, Ohio.
Parys was a recipient of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Thirty Under 30 Award in 2019, earning recognition as one of 11 NCAA Division I women’s volleyball coaches to be hailed as one of the up-and-coming stars in the profession.
A four-year letterwinner at the University of Toledo, the Crystal Lake, Illinois native led the Rockets in kills as a junior in 2011 and was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team in 2009.
