Matt Pennala at a game in the Shannon Center SXU Athletics
As the 2024-25 collegiate season for men’s volleyball is in full swing, senior Matt Pennala is ready to carry on the team’s accomplishments into another exciting postseason. With a great amount of success on Saint Xavier’s team, Pennala speaks on what brought him here, and his hopes as the season reaches its end.
Pennala grew up in Long Beach, California, where beach volleyball is incredibly popular. He would end up spectating and participating in tournaments, though his experience started in a grass league when he was roughly seven years old.
“I was the only one [in that age group] who could do a jump-serve,” Pennala recalled. “By that point, I knew I had an affinity and natural athleticism for the sport.”
Though he played both basketball and volleyball until his sophomore year of high school, Pennala knew he had to pick one to ultimately focus on. The choice proved easy, as Pennala knew he was better at volleyball and would have more opportunities from it.
On top of his time on a varsity high school team, he was a part of the Huntington Beach Club, which is known for having famous players who have performed in it. Two Pennala noted include TJ DeFalco and Joshua Tuaniga, who have both gone on to play professionally.
“I have had a lot of big influences and a lot of really lucky groups that I have been around. A lot of people have shaped my volleyball career and helped me grow into the sport,” Pennala commented.
After these experiences, he would end up at Long Beach City College, LBCC, where he explored the sport on a collegiate level. This team would allow him the opportunity to be competitive while making some great friendships along the way.
At LBCC, Pennala was named the school’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2022-23. They had also finished runner-up in the CCCAA State Championship final.
Although having a great experience, Pennala was unsure if he wanted to continue playing volleyball after his time at LBCC or what he would do next.
“I lost some of my passion for [volleyball] and was really determined to finish my degree,” Pennala explained.
What flipped the switch for him was the interest Coach Ryan, head for Saint Xavier’s team, showed the summer before his decision was final. Saint Xavier would allow him to not only dive back into his passion for volleyball, but help him succeed in getting his degree.
“I didn’t know anything about the team or the school,” Pennala added. “I was coming in blind.”
His decision to continue collegiate volleyball would prove to be one he is grateful for, as the team has seen tremendous success while being strongly united and cohesive.
Saint Xavier would end the 2023-24 season with a third place finish at NAIA Nationals, leaving them with a bigger goal this year: winning it all.
“We knew how capable we were. At the same time, we loved being the underdogs. We knew we had nothing to lose,” Pennala added regarding the team’s success at NAIA Nationals.
Moving forward, he is confident the team has the skill and the chemistry to carry on their success from this experience. Coming in with this already established has led the team to more success from the start. They are currently undefeated, having won the first 18 tournaments of the year.
Pennala has had a great start this year as well, beginning with four straight double-doubles. Against Cornerstone University on March 22, Pennala broke the Saint Xavier record of kills in a single-match, originally being 27 held by Jan Lopuch from the 2023-24 season. Pennala collected 28 kills in this match with a .360 attack percentage.
“The difference between this year and last year is the fact that, despite me training a little bit for a setter, I [have] always still attacked as an opposite. Whereas last year, I was playing outside up until spring break. We made the switch, but we only had two months of me hitting opposite,” Pennala explained.
He believes the offensive flow has improved this year with fewer position changes and substitutions.
With these changes as well as an impressive winning streak and new records for the program, the team is hungry for a national championship. The rest of the season will come down to tweaking things and maintaining the chemistry that has made the team so strong.
“You can have all of the talent in the world, but if you can’t play together, you can’t play,” Pennala noted.
As the Cougars near postseason, they are determined to keep their momentum and prove that they belong among collegiate volleyball’s best.