River Forest, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's volleyball traveled a short drive west of campus to Dominican University on Tuesday night, looking to get back in the win column after having their three-game winning streak snapped Saturday. The Scarlet Hawks didn't leave any doubt on this night, sweeping the Stars 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-18) to move back within one game of .500 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). The Hawks improved to 7-12 overall and 3-4 in NACC play. The Stars fell to 2-14 overall and 1-5 in NACC competition.
Illinois Tech recorded a .344 hitting percentage, with 41 kills and 36 assists.
Victoria Aspurez paced the Scarlet Hawks with 10 kills, while
Karla Trautmann Mendez added 9 kills in her return to the lineup.
Olivia McMath and
Veronica Lopez split setter duties, with McMatch tallying 18 assists and Lopez 16 assists.
Dominican jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the opening set, but the Hawks would answer. Aspurez of Illinois Tech responded with a kill, narrowing the gap. The Hawks overcame some challenges with service and attack errors, with
Lilia Donaldson's recording back-to-back kills to tie the score at 6-6. After a series of exchanges, Illinois Tech capitalized on Dominican's errors and surged ahead.
Sydney Wilson's service ace at 13-12 marked a turning point, and Illinois Tech maintained momentum. With a combination of strong kills from Trautmann Mendez and Wilson, Illinois Tech secured the set 25-16, finishing with an attack error from Ellery Shea of the Stars.
In the second set, Illinois Tech gained an early lead with a kill by Aspurez, followed by a service ace from
Anna Elena Sofia Sebastio, making it 3-0. Wilson contributed two consecutive service aces, widening the score to 8-4. The visiting team continued their momentum with multiple kills, including two by Trautmann Mendez. Illinois Tech pushed their advantage to 18-8, aided by another ace from Sebastio. A final kill by Donaldson sealed the set for Illinois Tech at 25-13, closing with a decisive win over the Stars.
Illinois Tech secured a decisive win in the third set against the Stars with a score of 25-18. The visiting team capitalized on a series of attack errors by Dominican, with Shea's miscue ending the set. Aspurez and Trautmann Mendez each contributed multiple kills, with Trautmann Mendez benefiting from consistent assists by
Olivia McMath.
Ana Jones and
Karla Leonte also added critical points, while
Toshiko Jones delivered a key service ace and a kill to extend Illinois Tech's lead to 19-16. This performance ensured Illinois Tech's control over the set, ultimately leading to their victory.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Victoria Aspurez
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- 10 kills (1 error, 19 attempts) with a .474 hitting percentage
- 1 service ace
- 1 block assist
- 11.5 points
Karla Trautmann Mendez
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- 9 kills (1 error, 19 attempts) with a .222 hitting percentage
- 3 digs
- 9.5 points
Sydney Wilson
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- 4 kills (no errors, seven attempts) with a .571 hitting percentage
- 2 service aces
- 7 digs
Veronica Lopez
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- 16 assists
- 5 digs
- 1 service ace
Olivia McMath
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- 18 assists
- 3 digs
Anna Sebastio
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- 3 service aces
- 4 digs
Stars Top Performers
Ellery Shea
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- 7 kills
- 2 service aces
- 9.5 points
Fabiana Pizzo
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- 14 digs
- 1 service ace
Karolina Stonkus
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- 17 assists
- 1 service ace
Jillian Ross
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- 3 kills, 100% hitting percentage
- 2 total blocks
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech is now 5-5 lifetime against the Stars, winning the last 4 matches.
Up Next
Illinois Tech will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Saturday, October 18th, for a noon match against the Milwaukee School of Engineering in another NACC matchup.
