CHICAGO – Freshman setter Mark Gheorghita (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) was a key contributor in his collegiate debut for No. 2 ranked Saint Xavier University men's volleyball (8-2/0-0 CCAC) as he had 33 assists, four digs, three kills and a block in a 3-0 triumph (25-20, 25-13, 30-28) over Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) opener for both teams Tuesday evening on Bob Hallberg Court at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill. Also playing well in his collegiate debut, freshman outside hitter/opposite hitter Marko Skuletic (Belgrade, Serbia/Tair & Belgrade Gymnasium) posted a match-best nine kills, along with five digs, three service aces and a solo block. For the second straight match, the Cougars had 10 or more aces, finishing with 11.

• Freshman outside hitter Bernardo Kumm (Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil/Colegio Maua) came away with a career-best eight kills on a .429 attack percentage (8-2-14). He added two digs, a block and his first collegiate service ace.
• Freshman middle blocker Nikolay Kotevski (Sofia, Bulgaria/Britanica Park School) had a career-high in kills as well, collecting eight on a stellar .583 attack percentage (8-1-12). He also had two blocks (one solo), an assist and a dig.
• Junior opposite hitter/outside hitter Donte Jennings (Spokane Valley, Wash./Morningside/Jamestown/Central Valley) posted four aces, four kills, three digs and an assist.
• Freshman middle blocker Hayden Grange (Mission Viejo, Calif./Trabuco Hills) finished with three service aces for the second consecutive match, along with three kills, two digs and a block.
• Freshman outsider hitter Owen Krause (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) recorded three kills, an assist and a dig.
• Redshirt freshman middle blocker Nick Gutka (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Purdue Fort Wayne/Conant) had a dig and a kill in his SXU debut.
• Junior libero Sam Trushel (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) tallied a career-bests with three digs and two assists.
• Freshman outside hitter Henry Truitt (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West) chipped in a season-high tying two digs in the win.

No. 2 Saint Xavier (8-2/0-0 CCAC) hosts a Tri-Match on Saturday, February 21 when they play St. Ambrose University (Iowa) in a CCAC contest at 11:00 am and Cornerstone University (Mich.) at 4:00 pm at the Shannon Center.