St. Xavier volleyball player Matt Pennala has just about done it all in his three-year career.
Last season, the right-side hitter from Long Beach, Calif., was named NAIA Player of the Year and College Sports Communications Academic At-Large Player of the Year, an award open to all college affiliations.
The grad student has earned scores of in-season and postseason honors and is the only player in program history to break the 1,000-kill mark (he’s currently at 1,082). He’s also among the top 10 in career aces, digs and blocking.
One thing missing from that hearty resume is a national championship for the Cougars.
“That is what I’m looking at, literally,” he said. “I can see all of the other awards I have on my desk. There is only one missing.”
The Cougars (28-3) are heading back to the nationals after beating Governors State 25-19, 25-16, 25-19 to win their seventh straight Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title April 18 in Chicago.
Pennala had 14 kills for the Cougars who head to the National Championship Tournament April 28 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Cougars finished in the top four in 2024, making it to the semifinals before losing a five-set match to eventual national champion Georgetown (Ky.), which was coached by Brother Rice alum Jim Dwyer.
Last year, the Cougars took second, suffering a four-set loss to The Master’s (Calif.) in the national championship.
The Cougars are ranked third in the nation by NAIA coaches behind Park (Mo.) and The Master’s. SXU opened the season with a 25-15, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17 loss to The Master’s. Pennala thinks the Cougars are playing better now.
“At the beginning of the year, we were getting used to playing with each other,” he said. “We were meshing with all of the new personalities.
“We know that our skill is good enough to beat any team. It’s just the mental aspect of things that we needed to figure out.”
SeatGeek to host Fire game
The Chicago Fire, who beat Memphis 2-1 in the Round of 32 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 15, will face St. Louis in the Round of 16 at 7 p.m. April 29 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Jason Shokalook scored both goals in the Round of 32 for the Fire.
Chicago also tied Cincinnati 3-3 in an MLS game April 18 on the road. Hugo Cuypers scored twice for the Fire (4-2-2), who host Sporting KC at 7:30 p.m. April 25 at Soldier Field.
The Fire II (1-2-3) dropped a 3-0 MLS NEXT Pro battle against Atlanta United 2 on April 18 at SeatGeek Stadium.
They return to Bridgeview at 3 p.m. April 26 to face Orlando City B.
Hounds still barking
The Major League Rugby-leading Chicago Hounds stayed unbeaten with a convincing 50-26 win over two-time defending champion New England in the Music City Showdown in April 19 in Nashville.
Charlie Abel had two tries to lead the Hounds (3-0-0), who scored 50 or more points in the match for the third time in their history.
The Hounds visit Seattle at 9 p.m. April 24.