Rockford, Ill. - Facing a team that had only won one conference match on the season, the Illinois Tech women's volleyball team found themselves in a good, old-fashioned battle Wednesday night at Rockford. It took the full five sets, but the Scarlet Hawks eventually were able to secure the road victory, taking set five 15-10 and winning the match 3-2. The Scarlet Hawks improved to 5-6 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, and evened their overall record at 13-13. Rockford fell to 1-10 in conference play, and to 10-12 overall.
With the win, the Scarlet Hawks maintained seventh spot in the conference standings, with two more conference matches remaining. The top eight teams in the conference at season's end qualify for the NACC Women's Volleyball Championship tournament.
In the match, the Hawks received big efforts from
London Francis and
Ana Jones, who each finished with 16 kills on the evening.
Grace Reckamp and
Karla Trautmann Mendez each added 13 kills.
How It Happened
- Set One - Rockford 25 - Illinois Tech 20: The opening match featured 9 tie scores and 6 lead changes. The Scarlet Hawks only led at three points in the match however, with the last one coming after a 4-0 run by Illinois Tech that put them in front 14-13. After a 15-15 tie, Rockford would take the lead for good at 16-15, and finished the set on a 9-5 run for the set one victory. Ana Jones paced the Hawks with 5 kills.
- Set Two - Illinois Tech 25 - Rockford 17: Set two was another competitive affair, with the teams sharing 8 tie scores and 5 lead changes. Neither team was able to establish more than a one-point lead until Rockford used a min 3-0 run to go up 7-5. The Regents would extend their lead to 13-9, forcing a Scarlet Hawks timeout. The Hawks came roaring back out of the timeout, with the team going on a 13-0 run that included two service aces by Sydney Wilson, giving the Hawks a 22-13 lead. Rockford would trim the Illinois Tech lead to 22-16, but the teams traded points down the stretch, and the Hawks sealed the set two victory. Ana Jones and Francis each had 4 kills in the set.
- Set Three - Illinois Tech 25 - Rockford 7: Set three was dominated by the Scarlet Hawks, with the team getting out to a 4-0 start. Rockford would pull within 3 points at 5-2, but from there the Hawks closed out the set on a 20-5 run to win set three and take a 2-1 match lead. Francis and Trautmann Mendez each had 4 kills.
- Set Four - Rockford 26 - Illinois Tech 24: The Scarlet Hawks trailed throughout most of the match, but had their first lead at 14-13 midway into the set. A 7-0 run by the Regents erased the Hawks lead and gave Rockford a 20-13 advantage. Illinois Tech would counter with an 11-4 run to tie the set at 24. But Rockford regained their footing, winning the next two points for the set four victory, and setting up the fifth and final set. Trautmann Mendez led the Hawks with 5 kills.
- Set Five - Illinois Tech 15 - Rockford 10: An early 3-0 lead by Rockford was erased by a 6-1 counter run by the Scarlet Hawks, giving them a 6-4 advantage. The Regents would pull within one point at 11-10, but Illinois Tech would close out the set on a 4-0 run to claim the fifth set win and the match victory.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Inside The Box Score
- Madisen Perry led Rockford with 14 kills, while Alexx Burton added 3 kills
- The match featured 24 tie scores and 14 lead changes
- Illinois Tech finished with a .285 attack percentage; Rockford had a .168 attack percentage
- Illinois Tech had a 13-6 advantage in blocks
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks return home to the Keating Center on Saturday, November 2nd to take on Marian University and Elmhurst University in a tri-match, the last home matches of the season. The Scarlet Hawks will open against Marian at 12:00pm in a conference match. The team will honor their departing seniors prior to the match as part of Senior Day festivities. The Hawks will return to the court later that evening to take on Elmhurst at 5:00pm in a non-conference match. Marian and Elmhurst will square off in the middle match starting at 2:30pm.
