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Men’s Volleyball: Caldwell helps Ramblers roll

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Loyola of Chicago senior Cody Caldwell has collected an NCAA title, Junior Olympics crowns with the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club on the 16s and 18s age-group levels, and MVP laurels in both the NCAA Championship and the Junior Olympics.

The Newport Harbor High product has also collected a handful of nicknames, most of which, he said Wednesday, would remain known only to him and his teammates.

But on the eve of the semifinals of the six-team NCAA Championship, where the No. 3-ranked and No. 3-seeded Ramblers (25-2) square off against No. 1-ranked and No. 2-seeded UC Irvine (28-4) at 6 p.m. Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion, the 6-foot-6 outside hitter picked up yet another moniker.

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“He was the Big Domino for us as a program,” Davis said of Caldwell, who has helped lead Loyola to its third straight NCAA Championship appearance, including winning the title in 2014.

“When we were first recruiting Cody, he was the No. 1 player in the country,” Davis said. “So it was a huge get for us as a university and as a program. Once we signed Cody, a month later we put the bid in [to host the 2014 NCAA Championship]. We knew that once we got Cody, the other blue-chip recruits would follow, and they did.”

Caldwell said his decision was based on his desire to relocate from the Southern California “bubble.” He said his club teammates, including UCI seniors Zack La Cavera, Michael Brinkley and Travis Woloson, may have been skeptical about him choosing Loyola. Even he wasn’t certain it would wind up making him a perennial fixture on the college game’s biggest stage.

“Well, for sure, they didn’t think [the Ramblers] would be where we are now,” Caldwell said of his former club teammates. “I wasn’t sure either, obviously. I made the decision to get out of [California], partially because of volleyball and some other things.

“It’s the best decision I ever made in my life,” Caldwell said. “The craziest part about it is just watching where this program was when I came in and where it is now; a complete 180-degree turn. I’d like to think I have contributed to that. It has been an amazing experience, with the guys I’ve played with and the guys we continued to bring in. This program is doing great things right now and I’m just so fortunate I was able to be a part of it.”

Davis and Loyola freshman middle blocker Jeff Jendyk said Caldwell has indeed been a big factor in the recent success.

“He has been great,” Davis said of Caldwell, a second-team All Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. honoree, who received honorable mention for the second straight year in the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. All-American voting. “He is kind of a rock for us. He’s a good senior leader and one of our captains. He is a tremendous athlete and a tremendous guy on and off the court. He means a lot to our program and he means a lot to the young guys. I am pretty proud of where he is today.”

Added Jendyk, one of three freshmen starters: “He has been a huge influence. On the court, his volleyball IQ has been so helpful to us, including the freshmen.”

Davis said Caldwell’s feel for the game can be as valuable as his statistical production. His 3.07 kills per set rank second on the team, behind junior outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke, the MIVA Player of the Year and a first-team All-American.

“With just his knowledge of the game and situational stuff, he knows what’s going on most of the time,” Davis said. “The kid knows how to win, so I think that’s a big piece of our team as well. And our guys feed off of that. They feel comfortable and confident when Cody is feeling good.”

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