Box Score
Lourdes men's volleyball team picked up its second straight road victory on Thursday evening, defeating Saint Xavier 25-16, 21-25, 25-19, 25-18 at the Shannon Center in Chicago, Ill.
 
“It is great to get a win against a divisional opponent on the road,” head coach Greg Reitz stated after the match.
 
The Gray Wolves held the Cougars to just .073 hitting for the evening, forcing the hosts into 32 errors.
 
Lourdes took control in the opening set.  Leading 12-9, the Gray Wolves scored six straight points, five off of the serve of Steve Barcus (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon H.S.), which started an 11-2 run overall.  Set two saw Saint Xavier battle back, scoring eight out of 10 point midway through the set to take the lead for good, 14-10.  Lourdes fought back to within one but a 5-1 run by the Cougars evened the match at one set each.
 
An 11-4 run midway through the third set put Lourdes in control of the match as the Gray Wolves built a 20-9 advantage.  In the final set, the Cougars kept the score close, trailing just 17-15 before Lourdes scored eight of the final 11 points.  Oliver Cizmazia (Bratislava, Slovakia/Metodova H.S.) capped the match with his team-leading 14^th kill of the night.
 
Cizmazia hit .310 in the contest while Nick DiMarco (Torrance, Calif./South Torrance H.S.) added 13 kills.  Frank Craig (Jacksonville, Fla./Englewood H.S.) hit .412 with 10 kills while Barcus handed out 34 assists.  Brad Miller (Convoy, Ohio/Crestview H.S.) led Lourdes with 12 digs while Zander Epps (San Diego, Calif./Eastlake H.S.) recorded six blocks.
 
“We had to mix up our lineup tonight due to some injuries,” Reitz added.  “Oliver hit extremely well for us on the outside and Nick and Frank each put up some good numbers as well.”
 
Justin Cousin led Saint Xavier (2-13, 2-8 MAMVIC East) with 18 kills and eight digs while Sean Blackwood added 10 kills.  Sam Kull had seven blocks for the Cougars.
 
Lourdes (5-5, 3-4) will continue its road trip in Chicago on Friday evening, crossing the Windy City to face Robert Morris (Ill.).  First serve is set for 8 p.m. EST.