CHICAGO – Senior opposite hitter/setter Matt Pennala (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach City/St. John Bosco) earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAC) Men's Volleyball Player of the Year for the No. 2 ranked Saint Xavier University men's volleyball team (28-0/12-0 CCAC) Tuesday morning after the conclusion of the 2025 CCAC Tournament Saturday afternoon, where the Cougars came away with their sixth consecutive CCAC Tournament Championship, garnering an automatic berth into the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship Tournament. For the third consecutive season, junior libero Andres Velez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/St. Francis) claimed CCAC Libero of the Year honors. Head coach Tom Ryan was named the CCAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season and the fifth time overall, also winning in 2019 and 2021.

Pennala and Velez were also named All-CCAC First Team, along with sophomore outside hitter Caydann Cox (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown/Jamestown), sophomore setter Cameron Daniels (Omaha, Neb./Millard West) and graduate student middle blocker Drew Ehlers (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North). The five All-CCAC First Team selections are the most in program history for SXU, besting the previous high of three from 2021-24.

With his achievement, Pennala extends Saint Xavier's run of winning CCAC Player of the Year to six years in a row. He joins 2020 NAIA All-American Grant Ooms (2020-22), 2021 NAIA All-American Aaron Kummer (2017-21), 2022 NAIA All-American Joe Lock (2022), teammate and 2023 NAIA All-American, junior opposite hitter Oskar Krzyzak (Now Sacz, Poland/Szkota Mistrzostwa Sportowego Rzeszow) and 2024 NAIA All-American, and former teammate, Jan Lopuch (2023-24).

• Pennala is now a two-time All-CCAC First Team honoree. He was named CCAC Attacker of the Week four times this season and NAIA Attacker of the Week twice on February 18 and March 25. Pennala has played in 26 of the team's 28 matches so far this year, leading the team with 387.5 points, 315 kills and a .393 attack percentage (315-83-590). He also has 112 assists, 108 digs, 59 blocks (10 solos) and 38 service aces. Pennala ranks No. 2 in the CCAC in attack percentage, kills per set at 4.20, service aces per set at 0.51, and points per set at 5.2. He is also No. 5 in total kills, aces and points. Nationally, Pennala is No. 3 in points per set and No. 4 in kills per set.
• Velez has claimed All-CCAC First Team for the third straight year. He earned CCAC Libero of the Week six times in 2025 and garnered NAIA Libero of the Week on April 1. Velez has played in all 28 matches for the Cougars this season, leading the team with 293 digs and a team-best .983 reception percentage of 414 attempts. He has added 84 assists, 15 service aces and three kills. Velez ranks No. 2 in the CCAC in total digs and digs per set at 3.33. In the NAIA, he is No. 7 in digs per set and No. 10 in total digs.
• Cox was the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Year last season with University of Jamestown (N.D.) before transferring to SXU prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year. He was named the CCAC Attacker of the Week three times this season. Cox has played in 27 of the team's 28 matches, posting a team-high 44 service aces. He also has 372.0 points, 299 kills on a .350 attack percentage (299-77-635), a .960 reception percentage on 428 attempts, 158 assists, 46 blocks (12 solos) and 26 assists. Cox is No. 2 in the CCAC in total aces, No. 3 in attack percentage and service aces per set at 0.51, and No. 4 in points per set at 4.3. Nationally, he is No. 13 in service aces per set and No. 16 in total aces.
• Daniels earned his first All-CCAC award. He was the CCAC Setter of the Week seven times this season. Daniels has played in all 28 of the team's matches, leading the team with 839 assists. He also has 175 digs, 99.5 points, 42 service aces, 36 kills on a .500 attack percentage (36-7-58) and 35 blocks (eight solos). In the CCAC, Daniels in No. 2 in assists per set at 9.32, No. 3 in total assists and total aces, and No. 4 in service aces per set at 0.47. In the NAIA, he is No. 16 in total assists, No. 17 in assists per set and No. 19 in total aces.
• Ehlers claims his first All-CCAC First Team honor, also earning All-CCAC Second Team three times (2022-24). He has played in 27 of the team's 28 matches, collecting a team-high 92 blocks (18 solos). Ehlers has tallied 185.0 points, 103 kills on a .382 attack percentage (103-25-204), 27 service aces, 23 digs and 13 assists. He ranks No. 3 in the CCAC in total blocks, block assists with 74 and blocks per set a 1.18, No. 4 in solo blocks and No. 8 in service aces per set at 0.35. Ehlers in No. 9 in the NAIA in blocks per set, and No. 21 in total blocks and block assists.
• Ryan has led the team to a 28-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Their 28-match winning streak is the longest in program history, and the 28 victories are the most in single-season history for Saint Xavier. Coach Ryan has won 20 or more matches in five consecutive seasons, and he has guided the Cougars to 20 or more wins six times in his seven seasons on the sidelines. Overall, Coach Ryan enters the NAIA National Championship Tournament with a 154-46 record for a .770 winning percentage.

No. 2 Saint Xavier (28-0/12-0 CCAC) plays No. 10 Benedictine University Mesa (Ariz.) in Pool B at the NAIA National Championship Tournament at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, April 29.