By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
While basketball has dominated the area college scene this winter, men’s volleyball is just around the corner.
Practice is in full swing and matches start later this month.
Saint Xavier wants to keep its best stretch of winning in program history going. Excluding the shortened 2020 pandemic season, the Cougars have won 20 or more matches in four straight seasons.
Before that string, they had never won more than 12 matches in a season, nor had a winning season.
That string of four consecutive winning seasons could continue for a while.
Oskar Kyzyzak and Jan Lopuch, both natives of Poland, return for their sophomore seasons. Both were named NAIA All-Americans as freshmen in 2023. Krzyzak, an opposite hitter who was also the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, had 344 kills, 105 digs, 58 blocks and 38 aces for the Cougars, who finished 23-5 overall and 12-1 in the league last season.
Lopuch, an outside hitter, had 283 kills, 111 digs, 52 aces and 510 receptions. He was fourth in the nation in aces.
Area players on the roster are sophomore outside hitter Andrew Kopinski (Marist), senior middle hitter Jake McClain (Marist), freshman middle hitter/opposite hitter Tommy Wasiel (Reavis) and freshman outside hitter Mahmoud Ghanayem (Argo).
Last year, the Cougars made it to the NAIA National Championship Tournament and finished 1-1 in pool play. Their victory came against Georgetown College of Kentucky, which is now coached by former Brother Rice standout Jim Dwyer.
The Cougars open the season Jan. 25 hosting The Master’s University (California), and the following two days will host Ottawa University (Arizona) and William Penn (Iowa), respectively.
Trinity Christian made it to the CCAC semifinals in 2023 before falling to Saint Xavier in three sets to finish 17-11.
Senior outside hitter Alex Costa, a two-time all-CCAC first teamer and an NAIA All-American honorable mention in 2022, is back. The Richards alum had 445 kills and 71 aces last season.
Other area players on the roster are sophomore outsider hitter/setter Ethan Oros (Richards), setter/opposite hitter Nick Mioni (Richards), sophomore setter/outside hitter Caden Figus (Oak Lawn), senior outside hitter Cody Figus (Oak Lawn), sophomore Diego Quiroz (Richards), and freshmen Sam Cain (Richards) and Ean Schultz (Reavis)
The Trolls open the season Jan. 26 with a road match against Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio).
Double double-doubles
The Saint Xavier women’s basketball team received double-doubles from Alyssa Crenshaw and Eleanor Harris, and needed every point and rebound as they nipped Roosevelt, 69-67, in a CCAC battle Jan. 6 at the Shannon Center.
Crenshaw, a junior forward, led all scorers with 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Sophomore center Harris recorded her second consecutive double-double with 12 points and a game-best 11 rebounds for the Cougars (7-6, 5-1).