Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CHICAGO – Roosevelt's season ended with a pair of straight-set losses to Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rivals on Thursday and Friday.
The Lakers (6-18, 3-10 CCAC) lost in three sets to Calumet St. Joseph on Thursday in Whiting, Indiana then followed up with a 3-0 loss to No. 10 St. Xavier on Friday in Chicago. Despite ending the season on an eight-game losing skid, there were plenty of positives for the Lakers. The six victories are the most in the three seasons the program has competed under the Roosevelt name as are the Lakers' three wins in conference play this season.
Thursday's first set was a back-and-forth affair with Calumet St. Joseph never leading by more than four points in a tight 25-22 set. However, the Crimson Wave won the first seven points of the second set and the Lakers had no answer on offense. Roosevelt won consecutive points just three times in the set while falling 25-13 before regaining their bearings in the third. The Lakers kept it tight in the final set until losing four straight points to fall behind 17-12 and eventually succumb 25-18.
Friday's match was not much better as the 10th-ranked Cougars overpowered the Lakers and hit .451 in the runaway victory. Roosevelt did win four of the first six points in the match to take a brief lead, but St. Xavier responded with five straight points to kickstart a 17-4 run. After the Cougars took the opening set 25-11, the Lakers lost the first six points of the second set, and the deficit grew to 22-7 before the Lakers strung together consecutive points again and lost 25-10.
Roosevelt responded strongly in the final set of the season, keeping pace with St. Xavier for far longer in the match. Even after losing five straight points to fall behind 13-6, the Lakers hung tough and didn't let the Cougars lead by more than seven the rest of the match before dropping the final set 25-18.
The two matches marked the ends of the careers for four stellar seniors who arrived at Roosevelt after the merger with Robert Morris. Shawn McCarthy combined for 17 kills and just five errors across the two matches for a hitting percentage of .255. Conrad Para registered a solo block against the Cougars and teamed up with fellow senior Joseph Claffy for a block against Calumet St. Joseph. Claffy, the reigning CCAC Defender of the Week, was part of two blocks against the Crimson Wave. Tony Galeana had 15 assists and 13 digs across the two matches in his final matches with the Lakers.
