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At Detroit's smallest Catholic high school, rugby is a big deal

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At Detroit's smallest Catholic high school, rugby is a big deal

Detroit Loyola senior Raylon Murry looks for an open teammate during the Bulldogs’ season-opening rugby match against Holland West Ottawa. The sport is thriving at the inner-city high school, and Murry intends to continue playing next year in college at Mount St. Mary’s University. (Photo by Kevin Roberts | Special to Detroit Catholic)

SOUTHFIELD — Raylon Murry had played football from a young age, but once he discovered
rugby, a whole new world opened for him.

Literally.
Murry is spending this weekend playing in the Tropic 7s travel tournament in
Tampa. Two weeks ago, he played in London. Murry’s been on pitches everywhere
from South Africa to New Zealand to Dubai. And he’s accepted a college
scholarship to continue his rugby career at Mount St. Mary’s University in
Maryland.

“I
would describe rugby as a game made for vicious people, but played by
gentlemen,” he said. “One of my favorite parts is when you sit down and talk
with your opponents and chill with them after the match. In football, after the game
the teams don’t really want to shake hands.”

Murry,
a senior at Loyola High School in Detroit, discovered the game as an eighth
grader by tagging along to watch his older brother, Rahmon, play on the
Bulldogs’ club.

Romell Murry breaks away from Holland West Ottawa would-be tacklers and advances the ball. Loyola fell to West Ottawa, 29-26, on the last play of the match. (Photo by Kevin Roberts | Special to Detroit Catholic)

Romell Murry breaks away from Holland West Ottawa would-be tacklers and advances the ball. Loyola fell to West Ottawa, 29-26, on the last play of the match. (Photo by Kevin Roberts | Special to Detroit Catholic)

“It
was the COVID year, and there was nothing else going on, so I started
practicing with them, the whole year, even though I couldn’t play,” he said. “I
went to all the practices and I picked it up.”

Soon,
Murry showed enough skill on the pitch that he became one of Loyola’s featured
players, and expanded his game through the travel opportunities.

“One
of the benefits of this is the joy of seeing kids really embrace this sport,
and really connecting with each other,” said Murry’s coach, Ron Cornell.
“Otherwise, I don’t think they would communicate and have respect and
compassion they show for their teammates. I’m 60 years old and I have done this
for 28 years. It’s kept me alive and young and excited to see new kids develop
every season.”

Cornell,
who’s also chairman of the board of Rugby Michigan, said there are only about
20 prep programs spread across the state, yet the game expands at the
collegiate level, where nearly every in-state school has a club.

“We
have outstanding athletes at Loyola, several have scholarships to play sports
in college,” he said. “It’s the traction that the kids provide; they can play
really exceptional rugby, and kids want to play for us. The kids are really
committed to playing. They have competed for positions at clubs across the
country.”

The
Loyola rugby program is unique on several levels. First of all, most of the
other scholastic clubs are from suburban public high schools that enroll
several thousand students, far above the 126 students who attend Loyola, in
Detroit’s inner city. Still, because of its success in recent seasons (such as a
6-1 record last year), Loyola plays in the upper division, which also consists
of Brighton, Forest Hills, Grandville, Holland West Ottawa, and Detroit
Catholic Central (the only other Catholic League program).

The Loyola rugby club attracts students from other schools as well, including Mason Maczuga from Madison Heights Lamphere (10), Collin Cole of Oak Park (11) and Ian Laskowski of Howell (16). (Photo by Kevin Roberts | Special to Detroit Catholic)

The Loyola rugby club attracts students from other schools as well, including Mason Maczuga from Madison Heights Lamphere (10), Collin Cole of Oak Park (11) and Ian Laskowski of Howell (16). (Photo by Kevin Roberts | Special to Detroit Catholic)

For
a while, a touchstone for the Bulldogs was that they were the state’s only
African-American rugby squad. But since the team is classified as a “club,”
students from other schools have joined. Several travel in from places like
Madison Heights, Northville and Brighton to play with the Bulldogs, who host
home matches at Levey Middle School in Southfield.

“Because
of the (small) size of the school, we have always invited people from other
high schools to play on our club. They have to register with USA Rugby. It’s a
club sport, (so) we’re allowed to have kids from outside the school participating,”
Cornell said. “They come from all over — they will drive to the inner city to
be part of the club, because of the special environment.”

Loyola’s
club began eight years ago when Fr. Adam DeLeon, SJ, a former theology teacher
at the school, contacted Cornell to help develop a program.

“He
had a history — wherever he’s landed, he’s always been interested in starting
a rugby team,” Cornell said. “Detroit Catholic Central and Loyola started at
the same time 2017 as an outgrowth of a club in Northville which was folding.
It’s a unique opportunity for these cultures to mix.”

The
sport has ebbed and flowed over the past couple years, but is strong at both
Loyola and CC.

“The
top rugby programs in the country, such as St. Ignatius and St. Edward’s in
Cleveland — besides the Mormons in Utah — it’s all Catholic schools that have
embraced rugby,” Cornell said.

Rugby
is one of those sports that people have generally heard of, but aren’t quite
familiar with the rules and object of the game, Cornell said.

Detroit Loyola rugby coach Ron Cornell and Mount St. Mary’s University coach Jay Myles flank Loyola senior Raylon Murry after he signs his national letter of intent to compete at the collegiate level. (Photo courtesy of Loyola Athletic Department)

Detroit Loyola rugby coach Ron Cornell and Mount St. Mary’s University coach Jay Myles flank Loyola senior Raylon Murry after he signs his national letter of intent to compete at the collegiate level. (Photo courtesy of Loyola Athletic Department)

“I
think a lot of people compare it to a cross between football without pads, and
a continuation like soccer, because the ball is continuously in play,” Cornell
said. “There are certain rules for advancing the ball. You cannot pass the ball
forward. You can run the ball forward and kick the ball forward and go get
under it, but you cannot throw the ball forward.”

Fifteen
players take the field for each squad. Teams strive to advance the ball to the try line, which is comparable to football’s end zone, and put the ball on the
ground with force, earning five points. An extra point try follows.

“The
biggest impediment with football players, who play contact sports, is that play
continues,” Cornell said. “It’s not an eight-second play followed by a
45-second break. The play keeps going. Everybody can run with the ball, and
score. That’s the big attraction — we have plays designed for everyone, no
matter their size or their body type.”

And because Loyola has a talented senior class due to graduate — Patrick Green
(Wheeling University in West Virginia) and Don’Yale Sharp (Aquinas) also plan
to play in college — attracting new talent is one of the ongoing factors for
the club.

“Right
now we have a roster of 23, so we have eight subs,” Cornell said. “I’d like to
have a few more because we’re looking down the road for development. We’ve got
seniors who have played for us for four years. There’s a rugby team at almost
every college. If you’re looking for an opportunity to learn a sport, then
learn to play rugby — you can find a rugby team in just about every
community.”

For
Murry, attracting the next generation of Bulldog rugby stars is a bit more
organic.

“I
want to really pass down the experience to the younger guys. I want the program
to be at the same level, or higher, when I leave. We have a lot of seniors who
helped bring the program up to what it is today,” he said. “I just show them a
couple clips of my playing. When they see me play, they get inspired. When I
show them the clips, I tell them if I could do it, you could do it. I want to
inspire them to start playing.”

“A
great thing about this sport is it can give kids opportunities they wouldn’t
ordinarily have,” Cornell said. “It’s unfortunate that kids don’t always
recognize that they have skill sets that go beyond football and basketball, but
I tell them that rugby might open some doors for them, too.”

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Updates, highlights as Wisconsin advances with sweep vs North Carolina

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December 6, 2025

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9:43 pm CT December 5, 2025

See some highlights from Wisconsin’s NCAA tournament win vs North Carolina

John Steppe

9:39 pm CT December 5, 2025

Mimi Colyer’s stats vs. North Carolina in second round of NCAA tournament

John Steppe

  • 22 kills
  • 5 attack errors
  • 42 total attacks
  • .405 hitting percentage
  • 13 digs
  • 3 blocks

9:37 pm CT December 5, 2025

Wisconsin vs. North Carolina NCAA tournament final stats comparison

John Steppe

  • Kills: Wisconsin 60, North Carolina 37
  • Hitting percentage: Wisconsin .365, North Carolina .233
  • Service aces: Wisconsin 2, North Carolina 0
  • Service errors: North Carolina 5, Wisconsin 8
  • Digs: Wisconsin 56, North Carolina 40
  • Total team blocks: North Carolina 6, Wisconsin 5

9:33 pm CT December 5, 2025

Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield comments on Badgers’ NCAA tournament win vs. North Carolina

John Steppe



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2025 NCAA volleyball tournament: Bracket, schedule, results

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December 6, 2025

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Dec. 5, 2025Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 12:22 a.m. ET



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Saddle Up: No. 3 Badgers advance to Regional Semifinals

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December 6, 2025

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MADISON, Wis. – The No. 3 seeded Wisconsin volleyball team punched their ticket to the Regional Semifinals for the 13th consecutive season with their second sweep in as many days, this time defeating North Carolina (25-14, 25-21, 27-25) in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. 

UW maintained their momentum from their First Round battle right away in set one, putting together a 15-9 advantage with a potent attack on the offensive end. 

The Badgers (26-4) were able to close out the first frame behind a 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of kills turned in by outside hitter Mimi Colyer. Setter Charlie Fuerbringer was able to cap it off with a kill of her own, tallying eight between the pair of matches this weekend. 

After a back-and-forth affair to begin the second set, Wisconsin found some separation by winning four-of-five rallies to build a 12-7 lead. The Tar Heels provided a quick response to bring it within 18-17 with the help of their physical block. 

Outside hitter Una Vajagic and right side Grace Egan each racked up a kill to force a North Carolina (22-9) timeout. Egan wrapped up the set two with another kill, as the Badgers went on to win three of the four last points. 

Wisconsin and the Tar Heels continued to trade points throughout the majority of the third set, which saw 19 ties and 10 lead changes. Colyer accumulated her 20th kill of the match in the process—giving UW a narrow 14-13 lead at the midway point of the set. 

Vajagic recorded six kills in the set, providing a spark on the offensive side of the ball. The redshirt sophomore continued to excel for the Badgers, concluding the match with 12 kills on a .435 hitting percentage. 

Late in the set, North Carolina fought back to force extra points by winning three-straight points. Outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres and libero Maile Chan entered late and made an instant impact, highlighted by a block from Shadd-Ceres and a pair of digs turned in by Chan. UW made one final push to officially advance in the NCAA Tournament, led by a resilient effort on the defensive end—converting on a trio of kills to wrap up the match. 

Colyer, in her final match at the UW Field House, ended a lengthy rally with a kill to seal the victory. The senior finished with 22 on the evening, the 11th time this year where she has accumulated 20 or more. The five-time Big Ten Player of the Week also earned her eighth double-double of the season, adding 13 digs. 

Egan joined Colyer in the double-double department, emerging as a staple on the defensive end with 11 digs, complemented by her 11 kills. Libero Kristen Simon put together another standout showing defensively as well, totaling a team-high 16 digs. The freshman added eight assists to wrap up a strong week of play in her NCAA Tournament debut. 

On the front line, Fuerbringer led the way with 43 assists—powering the Badgers to a hitting percentage of .365 (60 – 14 – 126) against one of the strongest blocks in the country. 

Middle blocker Carter Booth was one of the beneficiaries, turning in her third-straight errorless match with eight kills on 16 attempts. After tonight’s performance, Booth will enter Texas swinging .540 (27 – 0 – 50) in her past three matches. 

 

Straight from the Court

Head Coach Kelly Sheffield (on continuing to build confidence down the stretch): “It’s earned through work. Confidence is earned by the work you put in; it’s earned by how you talk to yourself. It’s been something that these guys have worked a lot on, not just having an individual confidence, but a collective confidence.” 
(On the performance of outside hitters Una Vajagic and Mimi Colyer): “These two hitting over .400 against one of the best blocking teams in the country is just a ridiculous number. They got some blocks on us, but we stayed aggressive and we continued to accelerate and hit good shots and know when to be patient.”
Outside Hitter Mimi Colyer (on playing one last time in the Field House): “Coming to Wisconsin has been the best decision I have ever made. This program and this fan base is just so special. Just the love that we have for each other and the love this fan base has for each other is just so special. It’s incredible, there’s nothing like it.”
Outside Hitter Una Vajagic (on building on her first postseason run): “I feel it was great tonight, playing with my team and having their backs all of the time was such a huge thing for me. Just with them behind me, I felt super confident and I’m so excited.” 
 

Notes:

  • With the 3-0 sweep over North Carolina, Wisconsin will advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the 23rd time in program history and 13th-consecutive season under head coach Kelly Sheffield.

  • The victory also moves Wisconsin to 72-29 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and 21-5 in the Second Round of the tournament.

  • The Badgers had three players with double-figure digs, Kristen Simon (16), Mimi Colyer (13), and Grace Egan (11).

  • Senior Mimi Colyer recorded her eighth double-double of the season and 44th of her career with a 22 kill, 13 dig performance.

  • Right Grace Egan totaled her fourth double-double of the season, eighth of her career with an 11 kill, 11 dig performance.

  • Wisconsin also had three players with double-figure kills, Colyer

  • Wisconsin totaled 56 digs, tying a season-high for most digs in a three-set match.

  • With 57 assists, Wisconsin totaled it’s second-highest assist mark for the season in a three-set match.

  • For the 16th consecutive match, Colyer totaled double-figure kills at 23, and her 11th match with 20 or more kills this season. She also tied Ellen Chapman (2013) in program history for most consecutive matches with double-figure kills.

  • In consecutive nights, senior Carter Booth recorded another error-less match. She tallied eight kills on 16 swings for a .500 hitting percentage.

Up Next: The Badgers will await their next opponent in the Regional Semifinals down in Austin, Texas. The date and time for the match is still to be determined.





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Kansas Advances to NCAA Sweet 16 with 3-1 Win over Miami

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December 6, 2025

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LAWRENCE, Kan. – The No. 16 Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 3-1, the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena on Friday to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. 
Kansas (24-10, 13-5 Big 12) advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2021. Kansas has gone to the Sweet 16 and beyond in four seasons, including 2021 (Sweet 16), 2015 (NCAA Semifinalist) and 2013 (Sweet 16). The Jayhawks will take on the winner of Nebraska vs. Long Island or Kansas State. 

“They showed up every day and just kept grinding,” said head coach Matt Ulmer. “They never stopped believing in what we were talking about. Our staff has talked a lot about the amazing additions to this group, and I think they complement the returners really well. This is when you want to be playing your best volleyball, and I think that was the best we’ve played. It’s not always going to be pretty against a great team; they’re going to push you and force the issue, but I’m just really, really happy for them. And I really appreciate everyone who was here and everyone who’s been with us to help us get to this point.”

The Jayhawks were led by 15 kills by senior Rhian Swanson, marking her 19th game with 10 more kills this season, while also surpassing 500 career kills. Senior Katie Dalton added 39 assists and set a career-high 7 blocks in the win. 

Both teams traded points early in the opening set as the teams were knotted at 5-5, until Kansas was able to pull ahead first at 8-5 behind three kills from sophomore Reese Ptacek and Swanson. Kansas would rally to five straight points to force Miami’s first timeout at 10-5. 

Midway through the first set, Kansas continued its momentum to take a 15-9 lead behind a kill from junior Aisha Aiono on an assist from Dalton. Miami would draw to within three points at 16-13, before Kansas would rally for three straight points, including a service ace from freshman Selena Leban to give Kansas a 19-13 advantage before a Miami timeout.

Kansas would find its largest lead of the first set at 23-15 and the Jayhawks would capture the first set, 25-17.

Much like the opening set, both teams went back-and-forth to open the second set with both teams knotted at 6-6. The Jayhawks would pull ahead at 8-6 following a block by Ptacek and Dalton, before Miami would rally for three straight points to pull ahead at 9-8. A long rally that ended with an Aiono and Dalton gave Kansas a two point advantage at 11-9.

Miami would bounce back with four straight points to force a Kansas timeout at 13-13. Following the timeout, both teams traded points until Kansas gained a three point lead at 20-17 following a block by Ptacek and Dalton. Leban would bring it to 21-17 with a kill, forcing a Hurricane timeout.

Following the timeout, Miami would rally for four straight points to tie the score at 21-21. Kansas responded with three straight points to take it to set point at 24-21, before Kansas secured the second set at 25-22.

Miami found the early advantage in the third set, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Kansas pulled the margin to within two at 10-8, before Miami would extend its lead to 13-8, forcing a Jayhawk timeout. Out of the break, Kansas brought the score to within a point at 18-17 following a Swanson kill on an assist from Dalton. 

After Miami took a 22-19 lead, Kansas powered back with back-to-back kills from Leban and Ptacek to force a Miami timeout at 22-21. Miami would bounce back from the timeout and win its first set, 25-22. 

With Kansas leading the match 2-1, Miami jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in set four. Kansas wasted no time marching back, retaking the lead at 6-5 from three straight kills. The Jayhawks carried their momentum to take a 13-9 lead midway through the fourth set on a service ace from Ptacek. Miami would take a timeout following a block from Swanson and Aiono to make the score 14-9.

Miami responded after the break by tying the score at 17 all to force a Kansas timeout. Both teams traded the next two points, before Kansas pulled ahead at 20-18 on a service ace from Leban. Both teams battled back-and-forth with Kansas leading at 23-21, before Miami got two straight points to tie the fourth set at 23-23. Knotted at 25-25, Kansas regained the lead at 26-25 following an attack error by the Hurricanes. Kansas secured the win at 27-25 with a kill by Leban on the assist from Dalton.

Up Next

Kansas will advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 and will take on the winner of Nebraska vs. Kansas State.



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Panther volleyball falls to No. 11 Creighton in NCAA Tournament

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December 6, 2025

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OMAHA, Neb. — The UNI volleyball team’s historic 2025 season came to an end on Friday night as the Panthers fell to No. 11 and third-seeded Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in four sets at D.J. Sokol Arena.

In a non-conference rematch from September’s Bluejay Invitational, Northern Iowa was able to split the first two sets with Creighton, but came up short in two hotly contested final frame, finishing the season with a 25-6 record, as well as both the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) regular season and tournament titles.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

UNI put together a competitive start to the match splitting the first 12 points of the match. The Bluejays would build their lead from there, slicing through the Panther backrow defense on .441 hitting 17 kills. Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra each notched five terminations for Northern Iowa in the frame with the Panthers hitting .231 with 15 kills as a team, dropping the first set by a score of 25-18.

The Panthers responded with a gritty showing in the second stanza, grabbing an early 5-1 lead thanks to a service ace from Dykstra. Creighton would chip away at UNI’s lead with the Panthers narrowly maintaining a one-point lead in a hotly contested back-and-forth set before the Bluejays tied the frame up at 20 and 21. Northern Iowa would finish strong however and hold on for a 25-23 win to even the match at one set a piece, with Dykstra notching eight kills and Hartman six terminations with the Panthers hitting .325 as a team.

Both UNI and Creighton swamped points early in the third set before the Panthers pulled ahead with a 10-6 lead, as well as 14-8 using a 4-0 run. The Bluejays would storm back attacking off of the Northern Iowa blocking defense for a 16-15 advantage, but the Panthers would show fight, taking a 20-18 lead on a block assist from Dykstra and Maryn Bixby. Creighton would prevail late however, scoring six of the final seven points for a 25-22 win and a two sets to one lead, despite a strong four kill set by Isabelle Elliott for the Panthers.

Creighton set an early tone in the fourth frame with a 3-0 run to open as UNI struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. The Panthers would begin to climb back with a 6-0 run to pull within one point at 18-17, but the Bluejays would close strong for a 25-21 victory to seal the match in four frames, with Hartman tallying seven kills in the final set

Hartman finished the night with a team-high 20 kills and 13 digs, with Dykstra tallying 15 terminations and seven digs. Elliott notched ten kills as Bixby posted seven terminations and four kills by Lindsay Oldendorf. Reese Booth finished with 22 assists and 16 digs, while Sydney Golden posted 20 assists and nine digs and Jadyn Petersen 14 digs.

“We put ourselves in a position to win and have a chance tonight and they left their heart and soul out there,” said head coach Bobbi Petersen. “One of the things that you wish for coaching is when you step out on the court for the last match of the season that you’re playing your best volleyball and I feel we get to say that tonight. The day we stepped on the court in January to now the amount of growth and the amount of intentional effort that has gone into this team has been incredible.”

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

  • UNI falls to 42-18 all-time against Creighton with the Bluejays winning their ninth straight match in the series. Northern Iowa is also now 0-2 against Creighton in the NCAA Tournament, the last meeting coming in the first round in 2016.

  • The Panthers are now 18-27 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches following Friday’s loss.

  • Northern Iowa’s loss snaps its 22-match winning streak, the eighth-longest streak in program history. UNI last loss prior to Friday night came against Creighton in September in the Bluejay Invitational

  • Cassidy Hartman notched her fifth match of the season with 20+ kills, as well as her 27th match this year with ten or more terminations and her 15th double-double of 2025.

  • Lily Dykstra posted her 19th match this year with double-digit kills.

  • Reese Booth recorded her tenth double-double of the season on Friday.

 

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.





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Pitt volleyball sets the tone early, sweeping UMBC to launch its NCAA tournament push

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