Chicago, Ill. - Inside the Keating Sports Center, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's volleyball team welcomed the North Park University Vikings for a non-conference match-up. The Hawks (1-1) dominated the contest, sweeping the Vikings (1-3) in three straight sets to record their first victory of the 2024 season.
How It Happened
Set One - Hawks 25, Vikings 15
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Illinois Tech started the match with two quick points off a Jackson Van Engen kill, from a Eli Sherman assist, and a block by Aaron Hanny and Van Engen. With the 2-0 early lead, the Hawks led the Vikings for the entirety of the first set. In the middle of the set, the Hawks went on a 5-0 run. First earning a point off a service error by the vikings, the hawks next two points came off kills from Riley Laite and Sherman. Attacking errors on the Vikings closed out the run as the Hawks led the visitors 11-5. Towards the end of the set, the Hawks went on another run, this time a 4-0 run with kills by Colten Farrell and David Singer, a service ace by Farrell, and a block by Singer and Van Engen. This run put the Hawks ahead 21-12. At the end of the set, the Hawks took set one 25-15.
Set Two - Hawks 25, Vikings 19
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Set two started off in favor of the Vikings as they quickly went up 5-1 on the Hawks. Fortunately, the Hawks were able to bounce back, tying the set at 5-5 after three straight points. After being tied again at 6-6, the Hawks would go ahead with a kill by Jelani Kimoto and a bad set on the Vikings. In the middle of the match, the Hawks led the Vikings 16-12 after a kill by Evans. The Vikings would then come within one after a 43-0 run before the Hawks turned the set back in their favor with a run for themselves. During this run, the Hawks picked up four straight points, two off of Viking attacking errors, one off a Laite kill, and one off a Sherman assist. Able to stay comfortably ahead for the remainder of the set, the Hawks won set two 25-19.
Set Three - Hawks 25, Vikings 19
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The third set started off as a back-and-forth battle between the two sides before the Hawks went on a 5-0 run to take the lead. During the run, points were recorded off a Viking service error, a kill by Elijah Johnson, a block by Van Engen, a kill by Evans off a Johnson assist, and a Viking attacking error. Throughout the set, the Vikings fought their way back to tie things up at 16-16. The Hawks were able to bounce back ahead with back-to-back points from a Van Engen kill off a Johnson assist and an Evans kill off a Johnson assist. A 7-2 run for the Hawks closed out the set, giving the Hawks a 25-19 set three victory as well as a 3-0 sweep over the Vikings.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Saints Standouts
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Adekunle Adebayo - 7 kills
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Ty Ingrano - 1 ace, 5 kills, 7 digs
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Parker Payne - 1 block
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Liam Miller - 18 assists
Inside the Box Score
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The Hawks tallied 40 kills versus the Vikings 26
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Four aces were recorded by the Hawks while the Vikings had one
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For blocks, the Hawks finished with 8 and the Vikings 2
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The Hawks had 36 assists throughout the match compared to the Vikings 24
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In digs, the Hawks recorded 43 while the Vikings had 31
Up Next
The Hawks will be in Virginia this upcoming weekend to compete in four matches. On Friday January 26, the Hawks will take on Randolph-Macon College at 4:00 PM and Southern Virginia University at 6:00 PM, both in Buena Vista, Va. Then, on Saturday, January 27, the Hawks will face Roanoke College at 1:30 PM followed by a scrimmage against Liberty at 3:30 PM.
