Viterbo, Calumet St. Joseph Pull Off Men's Volleyball Opening-Round Upsets
CHICAGO --- The first round of the 2025 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Volleyball Tournament was a night filled with upsets as both No. 5 seed Calumet College of St. Joseph and No. 6 Viterbo University pulled off shocking victories.
Viterbo, which earned just its sixth win of the season, took down No. 3 St. Ambrose University in five games, while Calumet St. Joseph swept Judson in three games.
That sets up Thursday night's semifinal-round matchups with top-seeded Saint Xavier University (26-0) hosting Calumet St. Joseph (9-13) and No. 6 Viterbo (6-29) heading to Bourbonnais, Ill. to take on No. 2 Olivet Nazarene University (14-12).
The two winners from Thursday meet for the conference title on Saturday at 1 pm.
Recapping Tuesday:
Calumet St. Joseph def. Judson 25-18, 25-22, 25-23
The third time proved to be the charm for Calumet St. Joseph, which had lost to Judson twice during the regular season in five games and three. Tuesday was a complete flip with the Crimson Wave gaining the straight-set victory behind Francis Hauze's 12 kills and four aces. As a team, CCSJ totaled nine aces. Reshawn Allen was even more impressive with his .846 hitting percentage and 11 kills without an error in 13 chances. That led to the Crimson Wave's .436 team attack percentage on the night. Mason Snodgrass led Judson with 11 kills.
Viterbo def. St. Ambrose (14-15) 25-17, 26-24, 17-25, 22-25, 15-8
Viterbo actually opened up a 2-0 lead on St. Ambrose before the Fighting Bees rallied to force a fifth game. That is where the V-Hawks used a 5-0 run midway through the set to turn a tight game into a 13-7 lead and the eventual upset victory. Ethan Davis had a big night for the winners with his 14 kills, 10 digs and four blocks. Logan Amdur ran the offense (41 assists), while also being one of many players that stepped up defensively with his 16 digs. Styrk Myhra and Justin Kratzenstein each authored seven blocks as part of an overall 15-block night for Viterbo. St. Ambrose was led by Kam Dixon's 15 kills and Michael Bos' 12 kills and seven blocks.
The complete tournament schedule and results follow:
Tuesday, April 15 - First Round
• Match #1: No. 5 Calumet St. Joseph def. No. 4 Judson 25-18, 25-22, 25-23
• Match #2: No. 6 Viterbo def. No. 3 St. Ambrose (14-15) 25-17, 26-24, 17-25, 22-25, 15-8
Thursday, April 17 - Semifinal Round (at site of highest remaining seed)
• Match #3: No. 6 Viterbo (6-29) vs. No. 2 Olivet Nazarene (14-12) --- 7 pm
• Match #4: No. 5 Calumet St. Joseph (9-13) at No. 1 Saint Xavier (26-0) --- 7 pm
Saturday, April 19 – Championship (at site of highest remaining seed)
• Match #5: Winner-Match #3 vs. Winner-Match #4 --- 1 pm