Aurora, Ill. — Aurora University defeated Illinois Tech women's volleyball in straight sets on Wednesday evening at Thornton Gymnasium, claiming a 25-17, 25-15, 25-21 victory. Aurora (9-5, 1-0 NACC) outperformed the Scarlet Hawks (2-9, 0-2 NACC) with a .297 hitting percentage, led by a strong second set where they hit .414. Illinois Tech tallied 33 kills and 44 digs in the effort.
The first set opened with Aurora surging to an early lead, capitalizing on Illinois Tech errors and showcasing strong offensive plays. Katelyn Ruse and Sophie Knazur contributed significantly to Aurora's initial 4-0 advantage. The Scarlet Hawks struggled with service and attack errors, allowing the Spartans to maintain control throughout the set.
Sydney Wilson and
Karla Trautmann Mendez managed to add points for their team, but Aurora's steady performance, highlighted by a closing kill from Alissa Hulst, secured the set 25-17 in favor of the home team.
Aurora capitalized on early momentum in the second set, establishing a 7-2 lead with key plays from Ruse and Knazur, both assisted by Trinity Nelson. Illinois Tech responded with strong efforts from Trautmann Mendez and
Victoria Aspurez, but Aurora's consistent attacks widened the gap to 16-8. Wilson's kill brought the Scarlet Hawks within seven, but service errors hindered their comeback. Aurora secured the set with a final kill by Knazur, sealing a 25-15 victory.
In the third set, Illinois Tech and Aurora traded points early, with the score tied at 9-9 after a block by Aspurez and
Rowan Midgette. The Scarlet Hawks briefly took the lead 14-11 following a service ace by
Maya Zinkiewicz and a kill by
Brooke Rifkin. Aurora responded with a series of successful plays, including a kill by Hulst and a service ace from Ruse, leveling the score at 20-20. Aurora then surged ahead, with Hulst contributing another kill and Ruse delivering a service ace to reach set point. The set concluded with a kill by Nelson, giving Aurora a 25-21 win.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Karla Trautmann Mendez
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- 12 kills on .290 hitting
- 15 points total
- six digs
- three blocks
Rowan Midgette
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- 19 assists
- seven digs
- three blocks
Brooke Rifkin
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- 10 digs
- three assists
- one kill on .333 hitting
London Francis
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- five kills on .188 hitting
- three blocks
- seven points total
Aurora Top Performers
Katelyn Ruse
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- 14 kills
- .345 hitting percentage
- 4 service aces
- 18.0 points
Trinity Nelson
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- 35 assists
Izabella Kowalczyk
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- 8 kills
- 11 digs
Sophie Knazur
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- 7 kills
- .357 hitting percentage
- 2 total blocks
Katie Brisk
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- 18 digs
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech is now 0-8 lifetime against Aurora.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will be back in action on Friday, September 26th, when they travel to Wheaton for a tri-match with Beloit College at 5 p.m. and host Wheaton College at 7 p.m.
