Chicago, Ill. – Although the February 4th match was an away match, the Illinois Tech men's volleyball team didn't have to travel far as they remained in Chicago to take on the Saint Xavier University Cougars. The Hawks, who are still looking to break into the win column, faced tough competition against the undefeated Cougars. In a 3-set sweep, the Cougars (5-0) remained undefeated as they took down the Hawks (0-6) 

SAINT XAVIER 3 – ILLINOIS TECH 0 

SET ONE: SAINT XAVIER 25 – ILLINOIS TECH 23: A close set between the two sides that saw four ties looked like it was going to go in favor of the Hawks, but a late run by the Cougars turned the set around in their favor at the very end. With the Hawks lead 19-13, the Cougars went on a 12-4 run to steal the set one victory.  

SET TWO: SAINT XAVIER 25 – ILLINOIS TECH 16: Following an early tie at 3-3, the Cougars offense picked up and never looked back. Bryan Evans and Paul Henderson both picked up two kills while Jelani Kimoto, Maximo Dowling, and Riley Laite all had one. Elijah Johnson recorded the assist on every kill.  

SET THREE: SAINT XAVIER 25 – ILLINOIS TECH 12: Starting off with a 5-1 run, the Cougars led for the entirety of the set. Near the end of the set, Dowling picked up back-to-back kills for the Hawks, with Johnson assisting one of them.  

SCARLET HAWK STANDOUTS 

Riley Laite – 5 kills 

Bryan Evans – 4 kills, 1 service ace, 1 assist, 4 digs 

Paul Henderson – 3 kills, 4 digs 

Jelani Kimoto – 2 blocks 

Elijah Johnson – 2 blocks, 21 assists 

Alec Donald – 12 digs  

COUGARS' STANDOUTS 

Caydann Cox – 13 kills 

Matt Pennala – 7 kills, 3 service aces, 11 assists 

Kyle Petrusch – 6 kills, 4 blocks 

Cameron Daniels – 2 service aces, 16 assists, 8 digs 

Vejas Cuplinskas – 1 service ace, 4 blocks, 6 digs 

Drew Ehlers – 4 blocks 

Andres Velez – 5 assists, 9 digs 

UP NEXT 

The Hawks have a week off before returning to action. On Tuesday, February 11th, the Hawks will host the Benedictine University Eagles in their first Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) match of the 2025 season. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.