SXU’s men’s Volleyball team started play in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament on April 1, against Trinity Christian College. They wrapped up the tournament in the championship game on April 2, against Judson University.
The Cougars played two energetic and aggressive teams in TCC and JU, coming out of the tournament as the CCAC champions.
Saint Xavier went the distance against TCC, with a back and forth five-set thriller.
The Cougars were down 2-1 entering the fourth set, but weren’t going out without a fight. They fought back and won the fourth set to force a fifth and final set.
The set was back and forth until the Cougars pulled away with 10 points to the Trolls six. The Cougars finished the set winning 15-7 and looked on to the championship game against Judson.
Grant Ooms led the team with 19 kills and seven digs in the semifinal game.
Joe Lock delivered 50 of the team’s single-match record 61 assists.
The championship game was a thriller from the start. Saint Xavier and Judson University were back and forth throughout the entire game, leaving fans on the edge of their seats.
In the first set, the teams never had more than a one-point lead until SXU pulled ahead 14-12. The Cougars never gave up their lead and took the first match 25-23.
Saint Xavier led 7-3 early on in set two, but the Eagles chipped down that lead and at one point led 12-10. The Cougars fought back to pull ahead 15-14 and took the second set 25-18.
Set three was suspenseful as the Cougars had an early lead, but the Eagles weren’t going down without making noise.
The two teams were relatively close in the beginning, with the Cougars averaging a three point lead.
SXU began to pull away, scoring four points in a row to make the score 23-16 with the title well within reach.
Judson crawled back with five straight points to pull within two points, eventually tying the game at 24 and 25 to keep their hopes alive.
Jake McClain, who had 13 kills on the day including the set winners in sets one and two, gave the Cougars the much needed momentum to pull ahead 26-25.
A block from McClain and Lock, awarded the Cougars the 27 and final point of the match, crowning them champions of the CCAC.
Shane Ooms led the team with 14 kills and Lock had 31 of the Cougars’ 48 assists.
With the win against Judson, Saint Xavier earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Men’s Volleyball Tournament, scheduled to start April 12 in West Des Moines, Iowa.