Wauwatosa, Wis. - With the regular season winding down to just two games, the Illinois Tech men's volleyball team traveled to Wisconsin Lutheran Wednesday night to knock one of those games off the calendar and earn a post-season berth in the process. The Scarlet Hawks were able to accomplish their goal, as they swept the Warriors 3-0, and in turn clinched their spot in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) tournament. The Hawks improved to 6-5 in the conference and to 11-15 overall. The Warriors fell to 4-7 in NACC play and to 8-16 overall.
The Scarlet Hawks currently sit in sixth place in the conference standings with one regular season conference game remaining. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason tournament. Depending on the outcome of the Hawks' game at Edgewood on Saturday, along with other results around the conference, they can move up to as high as fifth place or fall to as low as eighth place.
Despite the sweep by the Scarlet Hawks, by no means was the match one-sided. The final two sets were only two-point victories for the Hawks. The match itself featured 32 ties scores and 13 lead changes. The opening set was tied at 16-16 before Illinois Tech closed out with a 9-4 run for a 25-20 victory.
In set two, the Scarlet Hawks held a four point lead at 14-10, but the Warriors chipped away and eventually took a late lead twice and came within a point of set point at 24-23 and 25-24. The Hawks regrouped, however, and in an extended set took set two 29-27 for a 2-0 match lead.
In set three, it was the Warriors who jumped out to a 14-10 lead and it was the Scarlet Hawks who had to battle from behind. A 9-4 run by Illinois Tech gave them their first lead since 5-4 at 19-18. The teams traded points and were tied at 22-22. The Hawks closed out the match with a 3-1 run to win set three 25-23 and the match 3-0.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Inside The Box Score
- Brady Pichler led the Warriors with 11 kills
- Illinois Tech finished with an attack percentage of .224; the Warriors hit .155
- The Warriors won the block battle 13-5
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks close out the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Madison, Wisconsin to take on Edgewood College at 7:00pm. Because the game is a late start and the final NACC game of the regular season, the Hawks will know where they will finish in the standings if they win or lose to determine their seeding in the conference post-season tournament that starts next Tuesday.
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