2019 (Senior): Wrapped up her career as one of the most decorated players in program history… Named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and was the only player not from a Power Five of Group of Five school… Finished third all-time at Loyola in career kills with 1,597, a total that is fifth-most in Patriot League history… Also reached seventh on the school’s career digs list with 1,173… Named to the All-Patriot League Second Team and the Patriot League All-Academic Team (for the second year in a row)… Received Loyola’s Ernst Lagna Award as the athletic department’s top female student-athlete and was a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award… Named to the Dean’s List all eight semesters at the school… Finished her senior campaign with a career-high 493 kills and 4.07 per set… Those figures led both the team and the Patriot League and were 41st and 26th, respectively, in NCAA Division I… Second on the team with 395 digs, 3.26 per set… Had 10 or more kills in 28 of the Greyhounds 31 matches and she had nine or more in all 31… Seven times, she had 20 or more kills, capped by a career-high 27 at American… In 117 career matches, she recorded 10 or more kills 88 times (75.2 percent of the time), 15 or more 50 times (42.7) and 20 or more 16 times (13.7)… Opened the year with 26 kills and 12 digs in a win over Furman… Had 10 kills and nine digs against Virginia before going for 19, 18 and 17 against Loyola Chicago, Western Michigan and Montana State as the Greyhounds played in the Rambler Classic in her hometown… Put away 22 kills and had 24 digs against Bucknell and followed that with 19 kills against Lafayette… After posting the 27 at American, she had 23 versus Colgate… Had 10 or more kills in 19-straight matches… Named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
2018 (Junior): Earned first team All-Patriot League accolades after leading the conference in total kills (426) and kills per set (3.58)… Along with teammate Katie Forsythe, became the first Loyola players to be named All-Patriot League since the Greyhounds joined the conference in 2013… Was one of just seven fall athletes across the conference named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team… Started all 30 matches, also contributing 325 digs, 35 blocks and 17 aces to help Loyola clinch its first-ever Patriot League tournament appearance… Posted 13 double-doubles… Had 10+ kills in 23 matches, and recorded 20+ kills on five occasions… Totaled 20 kills (.370) and 23 digs in a five-set contest against Robert Morris (9/7)… Managed 23 more digs to go along with 18 kills in a five-set win over Howard (9/25)… Had 20 kills (.395%) and 10 digs in Loyola’s first matchup against Navy (9/28)… Named Patriot League Player of the Week on Oct. 8 after three-straight outstanding performance vs. conference opponents… Had 22 kills (.333) and nine digs at American (10/3), 21 kills (.240%), 20 digs and four blocks vs. Army West Point (10/5) and 13 kills and 13 digs vs. Holy Cross (10/6)… Repeated as Player of the Week after combining for 31 kills and 23 digs in victories over Bucknell (10/13) and Colgate (10/14)… Reached 1,000 career kills in the fourth set of Loyola’s home match vs. Lehigh (10/20), ultimately recording 19 kills and 17 digs in the contest… Notched 21 kills and 16 digs in the following match against American (10/27)… Concluded the year with 15 kills and 10 digs in the Patriot League semifinals at Navy (11/17).
2017 (Sophomore): Finished fourth in the Patriot League in kills (352) and fifth in kills per set (3.35)… Also averaged 2.53 digs per set, tops on the team among non-defensive specialist players… Had 10 or more kills in 22 of 29 matches… Posted 11 double-doubles (kills and digs)… Tallied 15 kills to go with 11 digs against Appalachian State (8/27)… Put away 19 kills and pulled up 11 digs to go with two aces in a four-set win at Akron (9/1)… A day later, had matches with 15 kills against La Salle and 16 versus Tennessee Tech… Had 11 kills and 14 digs in a win over Presbyterian (9/8) and then had 15 kills as Loyola beat Morgan State later in the day… Recorded 19 kills while hitting .350 to go with 14 digs against UMBC… Logged 11 kills and 10 digs in a three-set win over Coppin State (9/12)… Registered 17 kills against Charlotte (9/16) and had 16 later in the day at George Mason… Posted 14 kills and a season-high 22 digs in the Greyhounds’ five-set win at Colgate (9/30)… Tallied 15 kills and 12 digs in a three-set win over Holy Cross (10/13)… Hit .526 and had 12 kills against American (10/17)… Posted 17 kills at Bucknell (11/4)… Finished with 12 kills, hitting .423 in the home finale against Lafayette (11/7)… Had a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in the fall semester and was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
2016 (Freshman): Led all Patriot League freshmen in kills (326) and kills per set (3.54) after pacing the Greyhounds in both categories… Played in all 27 matches, starting 23… Was second on the team in total digs (187) and third in digs per set (2.03)… Finished with 35 total blocks and 15 aces… Earned All-Tournament honors at all three of the Greyhounds preseason tournaments (the Charm City Classic, Dog Pound Challenge & George Mason Invitational)… Made her collegiate debut with six kills and two blocks against Delaware State (9/2)… Followed that later in the day with 13 kills at UMBC. Turned in what would be a season-high 24 kills, hitting a season-best .340 in the process, in a four-set win over Akron (9/3)… Had a second-straight match with 20 or more kills, posting 23 with a .326 hitting percentage in a four-set match versus George Washington (9/6) in the Greyhounds’ home opener… Tallied 23 kills and 14 digs for her first collegiate double-double in a four-set win over Saint Francis Brooklyn (9/9)… Tallied 20 kills and a season-high six total blocks against Hampton (9/16)… Had four-straight matches with 12 or more kills from September 23-October 1 to start Patriot League action. Tallied 16 kills and 17 digs against Lafayette (9/23) and later had 18 kills with 10 digs in a four-set win at Holy Cross (9/30)… The next day, she turned in 17 kills and two aces at Army West Point (10/1)… Put away 17 kills and a season-high 19 digs at Lafayette in a five-set win (10/22)… Logged her fifth match with 20 or more kills of the season at Bucknell (11/4), posting 20 with three total blocks.
Before Loyola: Was a three-year letterwinner in volleyball at Whitney Young High School in Chicago… As a three-year, six-rotation player, totaled 835 kills and 838 digs for the Dolphins… Led the team in kills all three seasons… Led the Dolphins to the Chicago Public League Championship in 2013 and 2015, as well as the Chicago Public League Super Conference and regional title in the latter… Received All-State Second Team honors as a senior… Posted 285 kills and 299 digs as a senior, 297 and 311 in 2014 as a junior and 253 and 228 in 2013… Named to the 2015 Centennial High School All-Tournament Team… Played club volleyball for Chicago Elite 17 Elite… Led her 2015 club team in kills (403) and digs (251)… Earned recognition on the 2014 and 2015 JVA Watch List and the 2014 AVCA Phenom List.
Personal: Ann Marie Ernst… Daughter of Hollie Ernst-Williams and Dan Ernst and Rachel Koch… Has three younger siblings, Matthew, Sarah and Jessica… Earned Principal’s Scholars honors four times at Whitney Young.
