Saint Xavier (Ill.) Opens Men's Volleyball Championship Play with Sweep
Saint Xavier (Ill.) Cougars pened NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship pool play with a 3–0 sweep of Bethel (Ind.) Pilots on Tuesday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won 25–23, 25–22, 25–20.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - [BOX SCORE] Saint Xavier (Ill.) Cougars pened NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship pool play with a 3–0 (25–23, 25–22, 25–20) sweep of Bethel (Ind.) Pilots on Tuesday morning at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Cougars (29–3) led the match, hitting .248 as a team (41 kills, 15 errors on 105 attempts) compared with Bethel’s .108 (25 kills, 16 errors on 83 attempts). Saint Xavier was especially consistent across all three sets—never dipping below .229 in a frame—while Bethel’s offense tailed off as the match progressed, including a .034 mark in the third set.
Bethel (21–6) kept the opening set tight, trading points into the late stages before Saint Xavier closed out 25–23. The second set followed a similar script, with the Cougars again separating late to take it 25–22. In the third, Saint Xavier’s pressure and cleaner swings created more breathing room, and the Cougars finished the sweep at 25–20 in the third set.
Offensively, Saint Xavier featured multiple high-volume options. Matt Pennala led all players with 13 kills, while Caydann Cox added 11 kills and contributed from the service line with two aces. Donte Jennings chipped in nine kills on .350 hitting, giving the Cougars three attackers at nine or more kills. Setter Cameron Daniels ran the offense efficiently with 32 assists, helping Saint Xavier spread production and maintain a higher sideout rate throughout.
Bethel was paced by Ling Pak, who recorded eight kills, and Thomas Dunkley, who added five kills. McGwire Eigenrauch anchored the distribution with 21 assists, and Eduardo Kerkoski led Bethel defensively with 12 digs, but the Pilots couldn’t overcome the gap in offensive efficiency.
Saint Xavier also gained an advantage at the net, finishing with 15 total blocks (14 block assists). The team's blocking effort was led by Cox, who boasted four assisted blocks.
Saint Xavier (Ill.), with its first win in pool play, will compete in its next pool play match on Thursday, April 30, at 10 a.m. CT against Mount Mercy (Iowa).
Bethel (Ind.) will look to take their first tournament win on Wednesday, April 29 at 10 a.m. CT against Mount Mercy (Iowa).