Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, the Cardinal men’s volleyball team looks to continue their success. The 2023 season saw the Cardinals go undefeated in CCIW conference play and an unprecedented run to the National Championship. Now with a solid core of returning players and newcomers, men’s volleyball looks to contend for that elusive national title.
Setting the tone
With the departures of key seniors, such as Jeremy Cardenas, ‘23, and Parker Nelson, ‘23, the team will have to rely on players who Coach Kyle Exline can trust upon. Two of those players include outside hitter Jared Mosher, ‘24, and setter Tyler Donovon, ‘24. Moser, a graduate student from Wheeling, has become the go-to attacking player for Exline’s team. He has led the team in kills every season he has played. Moser looks to continue his legacy both as a player and as a leader of this talented core.
On the other hand, Donovon has become the program’s best setter in recent memory. The senior from Lindenhurst is coming off a historic season where he set the program record for assists in a single season with 1,028. He also led all of Division 3 in assists per set with 10.33. This achievement happened in route to him becoming a first-team All American. Like his counterpart, Donovon will look to run it back to the national championship.
“Coming off a program high trying to keep that continued success rolling is not something that is easy,” Donovon said. “It requires everyone to be all in and focused going into the season.”
Season so far
The Cardinals opened their 2024 campaign against Dominican University where they lost to the Stars 3-0. The Cards then won two of their next three games with one of those victories against cross-town rivals, Benedictine University. The team recently beat Aurora and Concordia Wisconsin 3-1 and improved to 4-2 on the season so far.
“We’re going to have ups and downs,” Donovon said, looking forward to the season ahead. “But it’s trying to make sure that we can keep our composure and keep our minds right no matter where we are.”
The team sets its sights on Milwaukee School of Engineering on Feb. 8. They will then travel to Ohio to face three nationally ranked opponents. Baldwin Wallace, Nazareth and Messiah are on the slate as the Cards continue their journey to reaching the national title game.
