Matthew Pennala serves the ball against OUA SXU Athletics
Saint Xavier University men’s volleyball team opened their season last week with the 2024 Chicago Tournament, hosted at the Shannon Center, going 0-3 in their three games.
The Cougars faced tough competition in the tournament, going up against three nationally ranked teams.
No. 8 SXU vs. No. 5 The Master’s University (CA.): 21-25, 24-26, 25-22, 33-35 (L)
In the first game of the season, the Cougars faced off against the No. 5 ranked team, going down in four highly contested sets. The last set of the game was the highest point total for a match in the program’s history, scoring a combined 68 points.
Redshirt junior middle blocker Shane Ooms led the team in kills with 20 on a .792 kill percentage. Ooms’ statline also included two digs, a service ace, and a solo block.
In his SXU debut, junior outside hitter Matthew Pennala racked up 18 kills, two blocks, and an assist.
Also debuting for Saint Xavier was fifth year senior setter Christian Oviedo, who dished out a team-high 27 assists, as well as three digs.
Set one saw a lot of back-and-forth action, but TMU strung together more points later in the match to gain momentum over SXU.
The Mustangs’ largest lead was five points (18-21, 19-24), which was just enough to edge Saint Xavier out to claim a first set win.
The second set was similar to the first, neither team gaining traction early on with plenty of ties and one and two-point advantages.
Unlike the first set, SXU was able to pull away from TMU first, at one point holding a 23-20 lead, and it seemed as though the game would be even at one set a piece. However, the Mustangs were not down for the count.
TMU rallied for four points in a row to regain possession of the lead, eventually taking the set 24-26.
Saint Xavier gained momentum in the third set, looking to begin a comeback against the No. 5 Mustangs. The Cougars’ largest leads of the set were six points, (16-22, 17-23, 18-24).
When SXU was at set point, TMU began to rally again, battling back with four straight points. But, the Cougars were able to hold on to their lead and take the third set.
The fourth set brought out incredible performances from both teams that seemed like it would never end.
SXU had several opportunities to close out the game and force a fifth set, but TMU rallied in the end for three-straight points to put the high-scoring event to bed.
No. 8 SXU vs. No. 4 Ottawa University Arizona: 20-25, 23-25, 17-25 (L)
The Cougars’ second game of the tournament was a sweep by No. 4 Ottawa University Arizona.
Pennala led SXU in kills with nine, also tallying two digs, an assist, and a solo block.
Freshman setter Cameron Daniels handed out a team high 16 assists and also had three digs.
In the first set, OUAZ strung together several scoring streaks that gave them good leads, but SXU would keep battling back into the set.
The Spirit eventually pulled away at the end to claim a set one win.
From start to finish, the second set saw plenty of ties and quick lead changes. Neither team ever got a good lead in the set to pull away, but OUAZ were able to hold down SXU for long enough to claim a 23-25 win.
The Cougars looked to attempt a comeback victory, but their efforts sadly fell short.
The Spirit had too much momentum at this point in the game, especially after their hard-fought second set win.
OUAZ made quicker work of this set, building a comfortable enough lead early on and not letting Saint Xavier back into the set, their largest leads reaching eight points, four times.
No. 8 SXU vs. No. 10 William Penn University (IA.): 22-25, 15-25, 25-17, 18-25 (L)
Game three of the tournament was another tough loss for Saint Xavier, losing in four sets again.
Pennala and sophomore outsider hitter Jan Lopuch led SXU in kills with 12 each. Pennala’s final statline included three digs, three blocks, two service aces, and an assist. Lopuch finished with two digs, an ace, and an assist.
The biggest difference maker in this game was errors committed. The Statesmen finished with 15 errors but Saint Xavier finished with 35.
Much like many of the other sets from over the weekend, the first set versus WPU was full of back-and-forth scoring.
The Statesmen began to pull away towards the end, gaining a 20-23 lead. Though the Cougars tried to hang in and complete a comeback, they fell 22-25 in the first set.
Set two was a very different story for Saint Xavier as William Penn dominated from start to finish.
WPU jumped out to a 4-12 lead that eventually turned into a 9-21 lead, a stark difference from the first set.
Although the Cougars managed to get a win in the third set, William Penn had control of the fourth set, SXU not having a strong chance at making a comeback.
Saint Xavier will look to get in the in column this Friday, Feb. 2, against Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time.