Krzyzak, Saint Xavier Dominate Men's Volleyball Postseason Honor Roll

CHICAGO --- Led by freshman Oskar Krzyzak (Rzeszow, Poland), regular-season and conference tournament champion Saint Xavier University nearly doubled up over the rest of the league on awards when the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2023 men's volleyball honor roll Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking of doubling up, that is what Krzyzak did by being named both the league's Player and Freshman of the Year.  The 6-9 outside hitter led the conference with his .355 attack percentage, while ranking third in kills per set (3.97), fourth in services aces per set (0.47) and 11th in blocks per set (0.68).

Krzyzak's name could also be found among the Top 20 players nationally in three categories highlighted by his No. 7 ranking in hitting percentage.  He was also 11th in kills per set and 16th in service aces per set.

Krzyzak was one of three Cougars to gain a spot on the 12-member all-conference first team, being joined by two more freshmen in Jan Lopuch (Kraków, Poland) and Andres Velez (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico).  There was also a 12-member second team.

As a team, Saint Xavier amassed nine total awards, including four of the five top individual awards.  The other two elite honors were Velez being selected as the CCAC Libero of the Year and Tom Ryan being named the CCAC Coach of the Year.

Velez averaged 3.92 digs per set to claim his honor, which was the third-best average in the league and placed him 15th in the nation.  Ryan directed the Cougars to their third straight regular-season title and fourth consecutive tournament crown.  SXU also boasts a 22-4 overall mark and a No. 10 national ranking heading into next week's NAIA National Championships.

The other top individual award went to Judson University's Elijah Wrobel (Bloomingdale, Ill.), who was recognized as the CCAC Setter of the Year.  The sophomore's 9.71 assists-per-set average led the league and currently ranks 11th in the nation.  He also had the conference's third-best service ace average at 0.42.

Wrobel's other numbers included 1.63 digs per set and 0.44 blocks per set.

Of the 12 players named to the CCAC First Team, six were repeat selections, including Wrobel.  The others were Pedro Castillo (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) and Francis Hauze (Belize City, Belize) from Calumet College of St. Joseph, Alex Costa (Oak Lawn, Ill.) from Trinity Christian College, Brendan Gibbons (Roselle, Ill.) from Judson and Jake Ostema (Orland Park, Ill.) from Olivet Nazarene University.

Ostema was the only three-peat selection on the first team.

After Saint Xavier's nine awards, tournament runner-up Judson collected five honors with Olivet Nazarene gaining four.  The latter program tied Saint Xavier for having the most first-team picks.

Claiming three all-conference spots each were Calumet St. Joseph and Trinity Christian, while Cardinal Stritch University had two selections. Also represented were St. Ambrose University, Roosevelt University and Viterbo University with one honoree each.

Trinity International University closed out the honors list by being named the CCAC Champions of Character Team.

For the complete list of award winners, go to Awards.