KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three members from the No. 2 ranked Saint Xavier University men's volleyball team (31-4/14-0 CCAC) were named NAIA All-Americans when the awards were announced by the national office after the conclusion of the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship that saw the Cougars finish as national runner-up for the second consecutive season, losing to No. 1 Park University (Mo.) in four sets on Saturday, May 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Junior outside hitter
Caydann Cox (Helena, Mont./Jamestown/Jamestown) and graduate student opposite hitter
Matt Pennala (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach City/St. John Bosco) earned NAIA All-American First Team honors, while senior libero
Andres Velez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/St. Francis) claimed NAIA All-American Second Team recognition. Head coach
Tom Ryan won NAIA Coach of the Year for the second straight season, leading SXU to back-to-back 30-win seasons. He is the first coach in school history to win NAIA Coach of the Year more than once.
Cox is now a three-time NAIA All-American, picking up Third Team honors in 2024 while playing for University of Jamestown (N.D.), and he was a Second Team selection last season. Velez is also a three-time All-American, earning Second Team in 2024, and he was First Team in 2025. Cox and Velez are the only three-time NAIA All-Americans this season across the three teams. Pennala earned his second consecutive First Team nod after he was the NAIA Player of the Year last season.
- Cox played in and started 30 of the team's 35 matches and 101 of 117 sets. He posted 345 kills on a .307 attack percentage (345-93-822) and led the team with a reception percentage of .991 on 581 attempts (576-for-581), as well as solo blocks with 17. Cox added 109 digs, 82 total blocks, 37 service aces and 13 assists, finishing with 431.5 points. He was also named to the NAIA Men's Volleyball Tournament All-Tournament Team, an American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA)-NAIA First Team All-American for the second year in a row, and was an All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) First Team selection.
- Pennala played in and started 30 matches and 97 of 117 sets. He led Saint Xavier with 377 kills on a .311 attack percentage (377-135-779). Pennala also had 169 digs, 63 blocks (seven solos), 41 aces and 25 assists, collecting a team-high 453.0 points. He earned AVCA-NAIA First Team recognition for the second straight season and was an Honorable Mention in 2024, repeated at the CCAC Player of the Year, and became a three-time All-CCAC First Team honoree. Pennala is the program's all-time leader in career kills with 1,140, the only player for the Cougars with 1,000 or more kills.
- Velez played in 31 of the team's 35 matches and 104 of 117 sets. He was the team leader in digs with 295. He had a reception percentage of .968 on 468 attempts (453-for-468), 70 assists, 14 service aces and two kills. Velez was named AVCA-NAIA Second Team, his third overall after a Second Team pick in 2024 and First Team last season. He won CCAC Libero of the Year for the fourth consecutive season and became a four-time All-CCAC First Team selection. Velez is the program's career leader in digs with 1,283, the only player in team history with 1,000 or more digs.
- Ryan led SXU to a 31-4 record, their seventh consecutive CCAC Tournament title and their sixth straight regular season CCAC crown. Saint Xavier is the only team to appear in all seven NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship Tournaments, all under Ryan's leadership as he concluded his eighth season at the helm. Ryan won CCAC Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row and sixth time overall, also winning in 2019 and 2021. His overall record with the Cougars stands at 188-51 (.787) with two NAIA runner-up finishes in 2025 and 2026, and a third-place draw in 2024.
Full list of NAIA Men's Volleyball All-Americans:
