Rock Island, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's volleyball, coming off their first win of the season Wednesday night at Elmhurst, traveled to Rock Island, Illinois on Friday for the first two of three matches in the Augustana College Viking Classic. The Scarlet Hawks dropped their opening match against host Augustana 3-1. In the nightcap, the Hawks battled before narrowly losing to Hamline 3-2 in a five-set thriller.
Match 1 - Augustana 3 - Illinois Tech 1
In the first match, Augustana (IL) defeated Illinois Tech with final scores of 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23. The closely contested first set saw both teams exchanging points, with Augustana initially gaining a 10-7 lead thanks to kills from Lanah Queckboerner and assists from Leah Rizzo. Illinois Tech leveled the score at 12-12, but Augustana pulled ahead again to win the set 25-22 with a final kill by Alexis Richards.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with Augustana capitalizing on early Illinois Tech errors to establish a 3-0 lead. Despite Illinois Tech narrowing the gap to 5-4, Augustana maintained control to secure another 25-22 set victory, capped by a decisive kill from Richards.
Illinois Tech rebounded in the third set, securing a 25-20 win.
Rowan Midgette facilitated scoring plays, and a mid-set surge featuring kills from
Sydney Wilson and
Karla Trautmann Mendez helped Illinois Tech turn a 10-8 deficit into a 15-11 lead. Midgette served an ace at 23-19, and Trautmann Mendez's final kill sealed the set.
In the fourth set, Illinois Tech initially took the lead, but Augustana quickly responded. The teams traded points until Augustana capitalized on Illinois Tech's errors to take a 24-22 lead. A late rally brought Illinois Tech to 24-23, but Richards clinched the match for Augustana with another kill, ending the set 25-23.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Victoria Aspurez
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- 7 kills
- 5 total blocks
- 10.5 points
Karla Trautmann Mendez
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- 13 kills
- 2 solo blocks
- 17.0 points
Brooke Rifkin
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- 16 digs
Rowan Midgette
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- 33 assists
- 9 digs
- 3 kills on .375 hitting percentage
**Augustana (IL) Top Performers**
Leah Rizzo
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- 32 assists
- 9 digs
Alexis Richards
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- 16 kills
- 16 digs
- 16 points
Lanah Queckboerner
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- 11 kills
- 16 digs
- 11 points
Katelyn Turley
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- 18 digs
- 3 assists
- 2 service aces
**Game Notes:**
- This was the fourth meeting between the two schools, with the series history now tied at 2-2. The last meeting was September 3rd, 2022, a 3-2 win for Illinois Tech played at Lake Forest College.
Match 2 - Hamline 3 - Illinois Tech 2
In their second match of the tournament, Illinois Tech faced Hamline, who edged them out in a five-set thriller with scores of 26-24, 23-25, 25-12, 23-25, 15-8. The first set was marked by competitive exchanges, with Hamline taking an early 7-0 lead before Illinois Tech responded with a strong 6-0 run, tying the score at 10-10. Despite leveling the score late, Illinois Tech succumbed to Hamline's final push, losing the set 26-24.
Illinois Tech came out strong in the second set, taking a 7-2 lead after a 6-0 run. They maintained their advantage, even as Hamline attempted a comeback, ultimately winning the set 25-23 following a bad set by Hamline's Claire Kaups.
However, Hamline dominated the third set, clinching it 25-12. Illinois Tech rallied in the fourth set, taking a 4-0 lead and maintaining control to win 25-23, highlighted by key contributions from
Taryn Jones and
Karla Leonte.
In the decisive fifth set, Hamline established an early lead, capitalizing on Illinois Tech errors. Despite a late rally from Illinois Tech, Hamline secured the victory at 15-8, clinching the match.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Victoria Aspurez
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- 9 kills on 22 attempts, .364 hitting percentage
- 3 assists
- 1 block assist
Karla Trautmann Mendez
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- 8 kills
- 7 digs
- 1 service ace
Rowan Midgette
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- 11 assists
- 1 service ace
- 1 block assist
Brooke Rifkin
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- 14 digs
- 4 assists
- 2 service aces
**Hamline Top Performers**
Grace Bathurst
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- 6 kills
- 0.294 attack percentage
- 3 total blocks
- 8.5 points
Cameryn Sand
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- 22 assists
- 3 service aces
- 9 digs
Lexi Helmin
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- 9 kills
- 1 block solo
- 11.0 points
Mandy Dierks
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- 17 digs
- 2 service aces
Claire Kaups
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- 15 digs
- 1 service ace
**Game Notes:**
- This was the first meeting between the two schools.
Up Next
Looking ahead, Illinois Tech will face Bethel University Saturday morning at 10:00am in the final match at the Viking Classic in Rock Island, Illinois.
