University of North Florida Athletics

Steve Loeswick begins his sixth season at the helm of the North Florida volleyball programs in 2017-18.

A four-year starting setter for the University of Southern California, Loeswick was just the third Trojan to start in a single position for all four seasons. Following his career at USC, Loeswick played in Germany’s top professional volleyball league.

 

NOTEABLE DATES

• Aug. 31, 2012: First win as UNF Coach vs. College of Charleston
• Sep. 8, 2012: Recorded the most digs in three sets (83) since 1994
• Sep. 8, 2012: Won Radisson/North Florida Invitational
• Sep. 28, 2012: Beat Jacksonville
• Oct. 19, 2012: Defeated Lipscomb
• Nov. 3, 2012: Beat Jacksonville
• Nov. 15, 2012: Swept Jacksonville in Atlantic Sun Quarter-finals
• Nov. 16, 2012: Upset FGCU in Atlantic Sun Semi-finals
• Oct. 28, 2013: First regular season win over FGCU since 2005
• Oct. 4, 2014: Set the four set-single game-blocks record with 18 blocks at Stetson
• Oct. 24, 2014: Beat Jacksonville
• Oct. 23, 2015: Clipped Jacksonville
• Sep. 12, 2015: Won Courtyard Mayo Classic (hosted by UNF)
• Sep. 19, 2015: Won Citadel Tournament
• Sep. 23, 2016: Defeated Jacksonville
• Oct. 21, 2016: Beat Jacksonville
• Oct. 28, 2016: Upset FGCU

 

ATHLETE HONORS

 

• 6 All-Conference Indoor Players
• 2 ASUN Freshmen of the Year
• 2014 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year
• 5 ASUN All-Academic Honorees
• 2 UNF Scholar Athletes of the Year
• 2 UNF Female Athletes of the Year

 

NORTH FLORIDA HIGHLIGHTS

 

• In 2016, Loeswick helped develop freshman Gabby O'Connell to an ASUN standout as she set the record for Freshman of the Week honors and was named the ASUN Freshman of the year. O'Connell also earned all-conference second team honors with junior Katarina Raicevic.
• North Florida defeated Jacksonville in both match ups to help the Ospreys eventually claim the River City Rumble title.
• The 2015 season saw junior Carina Hoff earn All-Conference first team honors after leading the league in hitting percentage, while Kimberly Ferguson was named to the ASUN Academic All-Conference Team.
• The team posted a 10-match win streak including two conference matches during that time.
• During the 2014 season, the Ospreys paced the conference with a 248 total blocks and a 2.02 block-per-set average. No other program in the Atlantic Sun averaged over 2.00 blocks per set.
• Whitmire set herself apart from all the other defensive players in the confernece, tallying 598 total digs en route to being named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year.
• Selected as the 2014 Freshman of the Year, Courtney Miller led the Ospreys in kills and had the most digs on the team behind Whitmire.
• In 2013, Anna Budinska’s 29 kills set a UNF Division I record for five sets and were the most by an Atlantic Sun player in a single match.
• Cameron McGuire became synonymous with blocking as she had 11 blocks against Mercer to tie a three-set match record that stood solo since 1991.
• At the conclusion of the season, Abby Fesl and Morgan Van Alstine earned Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team honors, while Budinska was an Academic All-Conference selection.
• In his first season, his squad became the first Division I team in program history to reach 20 wins, post double-digit conference wins for the first time since joining the Atlantic Sun, win two early season tournaments, put together two different winning streaks that are the longest in UNF’s Division I history and advanced to its first-ever Atlantic Sun Championship match.
• Individually in 2012, Nicole Baran was selected as the Atlantic Sun’s Libero of the Year, becoming the first Osprey to ever receive that award, whil also earning Academic All-Conference accolades. Danija Medina also joined Baran as an academic selection. Baran became the second player in program history to record 600+ digs in a season.
• Loeswick helped guide Paige Pridgeon to her fourth straight postseason honor as she was named to the ASUN All-Conference first team and back the third player in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career. Pridgeon was also selected as UNF’s 2013 co-Female Athlete of the Year.

 

PRIOR TO UNF

 

Prior to taking over the Ospreys, Loeswick had a 14-year assistant coaching career that most recently included spending five seasons at LSU (2007-11). Loeswick was a key component in the Tigers winning five consecutive SEC Western Division titles sparked by the 2009 SEC overall championship, the program’s first since 1991. The Tigers also accumulated 112 victories and were one of 25 programs nationally to put together four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2007-10) fueled by a trio of 25-win campaigns in 2007, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

The Tigers garnered several honors during Loeswick’s tenure including the 2009 SEC Player of the Year, a pair of SEC Defensive Players of the Year, eight All-SEC selections, a first-team AVCA All-American, seven honorable mention All-American selections and six AVCA All-South Region first-team honorees. A quartet of players also eclipsed the 1,000 kill plateau during his time with the LSU program.

In addition, Loeswick guided LSU to its first sand championship, as all four Tiger squads made the gold bracket playoff on the sands of Siesta Key, Fla. in April 2010. He also represented LSU on the national stage as an assistant coach of the USA National A2 Red Team and received a bronze medal for his efforts at the 2010 USA Adult Open Volleyball Championships.

Prior to his arrival at LSU, Loeswick spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2004-06. As a member of 2006 AVCA Central Regional Coach of the Year Santiago Restrepo’s staff, Loeswick aided the Sooners record turnaround in 2006 highlighted by a 28-6 record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. The 28 victories and .824 winning percentage were school records, while the 15 more league wins marked the best one-year turnaround in Big 12 history.

OU finished the 2006 season ranked No. 12 in the AVCA poll, its highest ranking in program history and boasted a pair of All-America honors along with the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Libero of the Year.

Before Oklahoma, Loeswick served as an assistant coach for six seasons at Cornell. During his tenure, the Big Red racked up a 93-38 record and 16 All-Ivy League selections, including 2000 Player of the Year Robin Moore. Cornell posted a top three finish in the Ivy League standings during three of Loeswick’s final four seasons, including a 21-4 mark and a second-place finish in 2003.

 

PERSONAL

In 1996, Loeswick earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from USC. A native of North Tonawanda, N.Y., he married the former Jennifer Arbuckle on June 17, 2006. Jennifer was a standout outside hitter at Virginia Tech from 1992-1995.

The Loeswicks have three children: two daughters, Isabella Rose and Lillian Ann, and a son, Steven Jacob.