St. Xavier University's men's volleyball team will be heading to the national tournament for the third time in four years. Photo courtesy of St. Xavier University Athletics
Area college report: Ooms brothers lower the boom, propel Saint Xavier to national tourney
By Jeff Vorva
Staff writer
Good things happen when the Ooms brothers go boom.
In this case, it means another trip to the NAIA National Tournament
The siblings from Minooka High School combined for 18 kills on Saturday to lead the Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team to a 25-23, 25-18, 27-25 victory over Judson to win the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament April 2 at the Shannon Center.
With the win, the Cougars (26-9) head to the national tournament, which begins April 12 in West Des Moines, Iowa. It’s the third time in four seasons SXU has qualified for the tournament. The pairings were scheduled to be announced this week.
Senior outside hitter Grant Ooms set the program record for career kills in the second set against Judson, surpassing Sean Barry’s (2014-17) mark of 888. Ooms has 891 kills in his three seasons with SXU and finished the match with four kills and 12 digs.
His brother, sophomore opposite hitter Shane Ooms, posted a match-best 14 kills along with seven digs and a block.
Former Marist standout middle blocker Jake McClain recorded 13 kills with a .706 attack percentage and added five blocks.
To get to the championship match, the Cougars won a 25-17, 19-25, 25-27, 25-20, 15-7 war against fifth-seed Trinity Christian. McClain had 12 kills and a .563 hitting percentage. He also had three blocks.
Trinity, which finished 18-12, was led by Alex Costa’s 21 kills. Sandburg graduate Jake Ostema had a solo block and five block assists.
Dreaming Team
Former St. Rita basketball player Connor Serven, a walk-on at Illinois, was named to the Sheets & Giggles Dream Team in March.
Denver-based Sheets & Giggles found bench players from schools across the country to take sleep tests. Serven joined players from Tennessee, UCLA, the University of Central Florida and Wisconsin.
Serven’s form included information on his time slept (12:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., sleeping on his side, not wearing sock and keeping the noise machine fan on.
When asked “Drool or no drool?” he responded “Whole lot of drool.”
When asked “What did you dream about?” he responded, “I dreamt about playing in the National Championship.”
The 6-foot-9 sophomore played in six games this season for the Illini.
A big deal
The Trinity Christian men’s basketball team picked up a commitment from 6-foot-10 Troy Glover II, who played at Feltrim Academy in Florida after a stint at Glenbard West.
Local News
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Neighbors
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead, a technician…
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support…
Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with…
Solar investments take center stage as questions loom on state’s renewable future
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com BOLINGBROOK – A manufacturer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago received $2.6 million from electric utility Commonwealth Edison this week as part of a state program for generating its own electricity using solar panels and storing it in one of the largest batteries in the country. But even…
Capitol Briefs: Lawmakers, advocates again call for affordable housing tax credit
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com Housing advocates are renewing a push to fund a $20 million state affordable housing tax credit in the upcoming state budget. Supporters of the “Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act,” modeled after a federal tax credit program, claimed it would result in over 1,000 affordable housing units being…
State Senate advances bill to ban food additives linked to health problems
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Senate passed a bill Thursday that would ban four food additives that are found in common products including candy, soda and baked goods. Senate Bill 2637, known as the Illinois Food Safety Act, passed on a 37-15 bipartisan vote and will head to the House for…