CHICAGO – Sophomore outside hitter
Caydann Cox (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown/Jamestown) recorded a season-high 13 kills on a season-best .417 attack percentage (13-3-24) as No. 2 Saint Xavier University men's volleyball (5-0/0-0 CCAC) swept NCAA Division III Illinois Institute of Technology (25-23, 25-16, 25-12) Tuesday evening on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Cox also had five digs and three blocks (one solo) in the win. SXU trailed 19-13 in the opening set and was down to set-point, 23-21, when an IIT service error allowed senior opposite hitter/setter
Matt Pennala (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach City/St. John Bosco) to hold serve and the Cougars rallied on a kill, a block and a kill from Cox to close out the set. After recording six attack errors in the first set, SXU had just six attack errors the rest of the match, three in both the second and third sets, respectively. The Cougars tied their season-high with seven service aces in the non-conference win.
- Pennala finished with 11 assists, seven kills, five digs, three aces and two blocks.
- Sophomore setter Cameron Daniels (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) posted 16 assists, eight digs, two blocks (one solo) and a pair of service aces.
- Freshman middle blocker Kyle Petrusch (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) made his collegiate debut and he came away with six kills, four blocks and a dig.
- Redshirt senior outside hitter Vejas Cuplinskas (Riverside, Ill./Riverside Brookfield) tallied six digs, four blocks (two solos), four kills and an ace.
- Junior libero Andres Velez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/St. Francis) registered a team-leading nine digs, five assists and a service ace.
- Junior opposite hitter Oskar Krzyzak (Now Sacz, Poland/Szkota Mistrzostwa Sportowego Rzeszow) added three kills, two blocks and an assist.
- Graduate student middle blocker Drew Ehlers (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) had four blocks and two kills.
No. 2 Saint Xavier (5-0/0-0 CCAC) takes on No. 11 Missouri Baptist University at the Shannon Center on Friday, February 7. The match is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start.
