Athletic opportunities at Calumet College of St. Joseph have been on the upswing in recent years, with two programs that were once discontinued now making a return in 2014-15.
The men’s volleyball program at the school, which previously existed from 2002-2007, is back this year under the direction of head coach Andy Marks, who helped begin the program initially more than a decade ago when he was a student-athlete there.
But while Marks said that when the time came to disband volleyball in 2007 because it “didn’t seem feasible for our school anymore,” interest has picked up, and the Crimson Wave are expected to have a solid team enter the 2015 season, which begins in January.
“We have all incoming freshman, save for one transfer who played baseball at Ancilla (College) but has never played volleyball,” Marks said. “We have a young man, Dominic Perry, from Lake Park High School in Illinois who is a phenomenal player who played for a team that went down to the final eight in Illinois.
“He will play all-around for us, his skill level and physicality is hard to match.”
Also returning to the fold at the ever-growing Calumet College of St. Joseph will be women’s golf, which currently only has one player, but a good one at that.
Highland High School graduate and CCSJ freshman Alexa Hogueisson, who was a captain for the Trojans her senior year, being named an All-Conference selection and regional qualifier.
“I chose CCSJ because of their great education program. Both of my parents graduated from here as well,” Hogueisson said.
Hogueisson will be coached by George Topoll, who led the women’s golf program at the school in the late 2000s, when the Crimson Wave were highlighted by standout golfer Keri Campbell.
“Alexa is a fine young lady from Highland, we are looking for great things from her on the golf course in the near future,” said Topoll, who also heads the men’s golf program at Calumet College. “We are building the (women’s golf) program and looking at several recruit. We want to be in full force by next year.”
Hogueisson is planning to compete in tournaments this fall and in the spring of 2015 as an individual, with the goal of having her become a team leader by next fall.
Calumet College men’s volleyball will also boast some region talent, with Lake Central’s Brandon Evers signing on with the Crimson Wave. Marks said Evers only began playing volleyball in his junior year of high school, but has a lot of “raw ability.”
“He doesn’t have a ton of experience, and his skills need to be fine tuned but his abilities can make him a standout and we’re excited to him him.”
Marks will be assisted by Sara Leth, who also serves as a coach for the school’s women’s volleyball team.
“She was a product of Trinity Christian (College), so she understands the Midwest game," Marks said. "It’s nice to have that experience. Her setting ability will give great guidance to the setters we have here.”
The return of men’s volleyball at Calumet College, Marks said, was an indirect result of similar schools in the Midwest like Saint Xavier and Robert Morris universities recently adding the sport. But it is more indicative of the overall growth of athletics at the school.
“When I first came here, we just had men’s and Bowling has been real successful and we’ve added wrestling and dance. These programs are thriving, and are some of the few programs in the area bring a lot of recognition to the school in general - and not just athletics,” he said.
While competitive dance has been “very successful,” Marks said having a wrestling squad is unique as well, as CCSJ is one of only two NAIA schools in the state to have that sport.
In addition to serving as head volleyball coach and assistant athletic director, Marks is the sports information director at Calumet College, often finding it a challenge to wear the many hats he is entrusted with.
SIDs in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) and Great Lakes Conference, which the volleyball team will join, work together in providing stats and information to save unneeded trips for coaches with a variety of duties.
“It’s a fine balance when you are a coach and the SID because every team wants your attention,” Marks said. “They want to make sure you are promoting them and giving them the needed attention, but at the same time you need to give full effort for your team.”
Sports Information gurus at other schools like Saint Xavier (Rob Huizenga), Robert Morris (Tom Czop) and Trinity Christian (Amy Strong) have been a huge help in sharing information across the board so Marks can put more of a focus on volleyball.
“Rob and I in particular has become good friends, we do a lot of work together like broadcasting the CCAC softball championship last year,” Marks said. “When a team is on the road, the host team sends all the rosters and media info, which helps especially if you are swamped.”
But the biggest support comes from within Calumet College itself.
“Another great thing about CCSJ is that the AD (Athletic Director Peter Haring), President (Dan Lowry) and VP (Ms. Melisha Henderson) give a lot of support and are always open to listening to new ideas on how we can do better as an institution,” Marks said. “As a coach, you cannot ask for anything more than that.”
For full information on the women’s golf program, contact Topoll at gtopoll@ccsj.edu or (219) 381-5343. Interested recruits should fill out the recruiting questionnaire here.
“We are very excited about getting Alexa some great experience this year before adding the whole package next year,” Topoll said.
Click here for the Men’s Volleyball recruiting form and see their schedule here.