Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech Women's Volleyball secured a 3-1 victory over Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday night at the Keating Sports Center, with Illinois Tech finishing strong in a close fourth set, 26-24. Illinois Tech holds a 5-11 overall record and a 2-3 mark in NACC play. Concordia University Chicago stands at 4-13 overall with a 0-4 record in NACC competition.
Illinois Tech opened the first set against Concordia with a commanding performance, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead with contributions from
Lilia Donaldson and forced errors from the Cougars. Despite some pushback, including kills by Harmonie Cooper, Illinois Tech maintained momentum through consistent blocking and attack errors from the opposition.
Sydney Wilson's consecutive service aces at 22-11 extended the home team's advantage significantly. The set concluded at 25-13 in favor of Illinois Tech, following an attack error by Concordia's Lili Hunt.
Concordia dominated the early stages of the second set, racing to a 7-0 lead, with Kate Foley contributing three kills and a service ace from Hunt. Illinois Tech managed to break the run with a service error from the Cougars, after which
London Francis responded with two kills. As Concordia continued to apply pressure, Isabel Valle's four assists helped them maintain a commanding lead, culminating in a 25-18 set victory. Harmonie Cooper and Indiah Day each delivered crucial kills, while Foley ended the set with a service ace.
Illinois Tech took control early in the third set against Concordia, capitalizing on a series of scoring runs. Donaldson and Francis each contributed kills, helping the Scarlet Hawks build a 4-1 lead.
Victoria Aspurez and
Cecilia Veters further extended the advantage with key kills and service aces, pushing the score to 13-4. Concordia struggled with errors throughout the set, including multiple service errors that hindered their momentum. Despite a late push from Ava Quevedo with consecutive kills, Illinois Tech maintained their lead, and Veters closed the set with a decisive kill, sealing a 25-17 victory for the home team.
In a closely contested fourth set, Illinois Tech secured a 26-24 victory over Concordia. The set saw a number of momentum shifts, beginning with the Cougars taking an early 2-0 lead due to attack errors by the Scarlet Hawks. However, Illinois Tech responded with a series of successful plays, including a kill by
Karla Leonte and a block by Leonte and Wilson, to take a 4-2 lead. Aspurez contributed significantly with multiple kills, helping Illinois Tech maintain a slight edge. As the set tightened,
Ana Jones delivered a crucial kill to bring Illinois Tech to set point at 24-23. A bad set by Valle of Concordia sealed the win for Illinois Tech, concluding the set at 26-24.
Illinois Tech Top Performers
Brooke Rifkin
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- 29 digs
- Four assists
- Two service aces
Veronica Lopez
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- 18 assists
- Seven digs
Olivia McMath
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- 15 assists
- 15 digs
London Francis
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- Eight kills (4 errors, 22 attempts, .182 hitting percentage)
- Three block assists
- 9.5 points
Lilia Donaldson
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- Seven kills (4 errors, 16 attempts, .188 hitting percentage)
- Two solo blocks, one block assist
- 9.5 points
Concordia Chicago Top Performers
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Kate Foley
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- 15 digs
- 8 kills
- 9.0 points
Bethany Roethel
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- 24 digs
- 3 assists
- 1 service ace
Isabel Valle
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- 22 assists
- 7 digs
- 2 blocks
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech is now 7-4 all time vs Concordia and has won 6 straight matchups
Up Next
The next challenge for the Scarlet Hawks arrives on October 10, as they travel to Lake Forest, IL, to compete against Lake Forest College in a non-conference math up. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m.
