The Saint Xavier Men’s Volleyball team entered the NAIA Tournament with a lot to prove.
The Cougars entered the tournament as the CCAC (Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) champions, so they had to prove they belonged in the big time.
Saint Xavier started the tournament with the group stage from April 16th to April 18th. The Cougars were placed in a group with the number one ranked Missouri Baptist University, the number four ranked Grand View University, and the number five ranked Park University.
Saint Xavier started group play on April 16th, when they played the Missouri Baptist Spartans. The Spartans entered the NAIA Tournament with a 28-0 record.
The Cougars got off to a hot start by winning the first set 25-22, but things soon came to a screeching halt. The Spartans proved why they were the number one team in the country in the second set,
not letting SXU to get anything going and eventually winning 25-21.
The Spartans continued to dominate in the third set, dominating the Cougars and eventually winning 25-18. In the fourth and final set, the Cougars could not get anything going and eventually lost the set and the game, 21-25.
The next day, SXU played the Grand View Vikings. The Vikings entered the game with a 19-1 record.
The Vikings got off to a hot start, outplaying the Cougars and eventually winning the first set by a score of 25-17. The second set was more of the same dominance from the Vikings, who shut down any hopes of a SXU comeback and
Your 2019 Saint Xavier Cougars Men’s Volleyball Team eventually won the second set 25-21. The third and final set was more of the same from the Vikings, who eventually won 25-21.
Going into the final game of group play, Saint Xavier needed a near miracle to make it to the next round of the NAIA Tournament.
The first thing the Cougars needed to do was to defeat the Park Pirates. The Pirates entered the game with a 20-6 record.
The Pirates completely dominated the first set, not allowing the Cougars to even have a chance at a lead. The Pirates eventually won the set 25-16.
The second set was very back and forth, with both teams playing hard and fast. However, it was the Pirates who ended up winning the second set by a score of 25-22.
The third and final set was much like the first set, with Park University completely dominating the Cougars. The final score of the set was even the same of the first set, 25-16 in favor of the Pirates.
With the loss, the Cougars were knocked out of the tournament. None of the teams in the group made the NAIA Championship, which was eventually won by Benedictine Mesa University.
Saint Xavier may have had a disappointing NAIA Playoffs performance, but they had a great season.
One can only hope that this team continues to perform at a top level next year, despite the losses of some great senior talent.
Chris Leonchik
Sports Editor