De Pere, Wis. — Despite a strong effort in the first two sets of the match, Illinois Tech women's volleyball fell to St. Norbert College in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at the Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center, with scores of 21-25, 25-27, 12-25. Illinois Tech holds fell to 11-14 overall and 6-6 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Green Knights stand at 20-8 overall, with a 9-2 record in NACC play.

Illinois Tech opened the first set against the Green Knights with an early lead, capitalizing on a block by Lilia Donaldson and London Francis to secure the first point. Anna Elena Sofia Sebastio added a service ace to extend the lead to 2-0. However, the Green Knights responded with a series of plays, including two kills by Kirsten Klatt and a service ace from Casey Vaughan, to take an 8-5 advantage. Illinois Tech fought back to tie the score at 13-13, thanks to a kill by Francis and a block by Donaldson and Francis. Despite a late push from Illinois Tech, highlighted by a kill from Karla Trautmann Mendez, the Green Knights closed the set 25-21, with Casey Vaughan delivering the final point.

The Green Knights built an early lead in the second set, with Anna Kudick contributing two early kills, and Mickenzi Benter adding another to put them ahead 3-0. Illinois Tech responded with blocks by London Francis and Lilia Donaldson, narrowing the score to 3-1. However, the Green Knights capitalized on attack errors from Illinois Tech, extending their lead to 7-3. Despite a late rally by Illinois Tech, highlighted by Victoria Aspurez's service ace that brought them within a point at 21-22, the Green Knights managed to close out the set. Annabel Stevenson's kill and a final attack error by Aspurez secured the set for the Green Knights at 27-25.

Illinois Tech struggled to maintain momentum in the third set against the Green Knights, ultimately falling 25-12. The set began with Illinois Tech briefly taking a 3-0 lead after a kill by London Francis and a block from Cecilia Veters and Lilia Donaldson. However, the Green Knights rallied with a sequence of points, highlighted by kills from Annabel Stevenson, to seize an 11-5 advantage. Despite a service ace from Victoria Aspurez that momentarily closed the gap to 14-8, Illinois Tech was unable to recover from a series of attack errors. The Green Knights capitalized on these errors, closing the set with a decisive run that included a block and an attack error on match point.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Victoria Aspurez  
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- 7 kills (4 errors, 19 attempts)  
- 3 service aces  
- 2 blocks  
- 11 points  

London Francis  
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- 6 kills (3 errors, 26 attempts)  
- 7 blocks  
- 9.5 points  

Veronica Lopez  
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- 11 assists  
- 11 digs  

Karla Trautmann Mendez 
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- 7 kills 
- 7 digs  

Lilia Donaldson  
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- 3 kills (2 errors, 9 attempts)  
- 7 blocks  

Green Knights Top Performers

Heidi Colburn  
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- 29 assists  
- 9 digs  

Annabel Stevenson  
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- 9 kills  
- 2 blocks  
- 10 points  

Mari Szews  
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- 7 total blocks  
- 7 points  

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech dropped to 0-5 overall lifetime against the Green Knights.
- The Scarlet Hawks recorded 11 total team blocks in the match.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will host Rockford University at the Keating Sports Center on Friday, November 7th at 7 p.m. Prior to the game, the team will honor their their senior players as part of Senior Night.