Box Score Chicago, Ill. - The Illinois Tech men's volleyball team had conference-leading and tenth-ranked Aurora on the ropes in the opening set of their match Wednesday night at the Keating Center, holding set point on the Spartans on four separate occasions, including at 27-26. But the Scarlet Hawks couldn't put the visitors away, as the Spartans rallied for a 29-27 first set victory, setting the stage for their 3-0 match victory over the Hawks. Illinois Tech fell to 4-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, and to 9-12 overall. Aurora remained undefeated in NACC play at 6-0 and improved to 17-3 overall.
Raul Matos paced the Scarlet Hawks with 9 kills on the evening along with a .467 attack percentage, while adding 6 digs. Josh McLellan of Aurora led all players with 17 kills, while hitting .375.
How It Happened
- Set 1 - Aurora 29 - Illinois Tech 27: Neither team could open up more than a two-point advantage over each other in an opening set that featured 15 ties scores and 8 lead changes. The Scarlet Hawks held a 24-22 lead and set point late in the set, but Aurora rallied to tie the match at 24. Illinois Tech held set point at 25-24 and 27-26 as well, but the Spartans rallied each time, eventually taking the set 29-27. Maximo Dowling led Illinois Tech with 4 kills.
- Set 2 - Aurora 25 - Illinois Tech 17: With set two tied at 10-10, Aurora went on an 11-4 run to open up a 21-14 lead, ultimately closing out the Hawks by winning 4 of the subsequent 7 points for a 2-0 match lead. Dowling added 3 more kills to pace the Hawks.
- Set 3 - Aurora 25- Illinois Tech 23: As tough as the first set loss to the Spartans was, the third set loss might have proved to be just as frustrating, as the Scarlet Hawks jumped out to a 6-1 lead, and held a 17-14 lead late into the set. But the Spartans proved too tough to put away, as they battled from behind throughout the remainder of the set, using a 10-4 run to take a 24-21 lead and establish match point. The Hawks would score the next two points to close within one point at 24-23, but the Spartans won the next point for the 3-0 match victory. Matos paced the Scarlet Hawks with 6 kills.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Inside The Box Score
- Josh McLellan of Aurora led all players with 17 kills, while hitting .375
- Logan Brouwer of Aurora had 34 assists, 2 service aces, 5 blocks and 7 digs
- Aurora finished with a .313 attack percentage; the Scarlet Hawks hit .180
- The match featured 27 ties scores and 14 lead changes
Up Next
With the conference schedule reduced to five remaining matches, the Scarlet Hawks travel to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on Saturday for an important match with the Marian Sabres. With the Hawks currently sitting in 5th place in the NACC with a 4-3 record, the Sabres sit right behind the Hawks with a 3-3 record and 7th place in the conference. The top 8 teams qualify for the conference post-season tournament, with the top four teams earning home court advantage for the first round. The Hawks will play the Sabres at 1:00pm on Saturday.
