Saint Xavier High School Varsity Volleyball

Volleyball Through the Years

• In the early years, the Tigers Volleyball team practiced in the wrestling gym and competed at the Ohio Valley Volleyball Club in a league comprised of the four Catholic schools: St. X, Trinity, DeSales, and Holy Cross.
• In 1994, Rick Nold guided the team to an undefeated season, including league and championship matches, before turning the program over to Coach James Gonda.
• In 1995 & 1996, the popularity of the sport continued to grow with the addition of Providence (IN) as the league's fifth team. St. X repeated as league and tournament champions, earning the third and fourth consecutive titles.
• In 2000, the Tigers reclaimed the title under the guidance of Mitzy Donhoff, Michele Duncan, and Beth Kuhnell, the first all-female coaching staff in Saint Xavier athletic history. The Tigers had the best league record and defeated Trinity for the state tournament title.
• In 2001, the Tigers returned all but two starters from the 2000 tournament winning team, including All-State players Mike McCauley, Matt Reibert, and Ben Spies, who led the team to a second straight state championship.
• In 2007, Coach Josh Mullin took the reigns as head coach and began scheduling games throughout the region, including traveling to Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio seeking more competition for the program. The move paid off as the team won their first state title since 2001.
• Seniors Dylan O'Loughlin and Steven Vanover led the 2008 team to the state title for the second straight year.
• The 2009 Tigers won the state title for the third straight year, also claimed the Buckeye Classic Championship in Columbus, OH. Seniors Chris Cox and Ben Cavanaugh were named to the All-Tournament team.
• 2010 marked the fourth season in a row winning the Kentucky Club championship, while also earning a top 50 national ranking by ESPN.
• Coach Ward Lotze took over the coaching duties in 2011 and continued the winning ways, as the Tigers earned their fifth consecutive state title.
• 2012 saw more of the same, as the streak of consecutive state championships reached six.
• After finishing just short in 2013, the 2014 Tigers reclaimed the crown and winning their 13th Kentucky Club Championship.
• The 2015 Tigers captured their eighth state title in nine years as they repeated as Kentucky Club Volleyball champions.
• In 2016, the Tigers won their third straight Kentucky State Volleyball Championship and the school's 14th title overall.
• The 2017 Tigers went 16-3 and won their fourth straight state title.
• For the 11th time in 12 years, and the fifth consecutive year, the 2018 Tigers won the state title, after finishing the regular season 10-2.
• In 2019, the Tigers won their sixth consecutive title and 18th overall at the Kentucky Boys Volleyball Association Tournament.
• The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Tigers earned their seventh consecutive title by defeating Trinity in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-22) at the 2021 KBVA Tournament. Jacob Carrico, Tyler Laha, and Gavin Peters were named to the all-tournament team.
• The Tigers ended the 2022 season as state runners-up, falling in the KBVA final to Trinity, 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 21-25, 22-25).