Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's volleyball (0-1, 0-0 NACC) opened their 2025 season falling to Lawrence (6-1, 0-0 Midwest) in a tightly contested five-set match on Friday night at Ratner Athletics Center in their opening match in University of Chicago's Rosalie Resch Invitational, with scores of 26-24, 27-29, 18-25, 27-25, 14-16.

Illinois Tech started the first set against Lawrence with a solid performance, securing an early 3-1 lead thanks to a kill by Karla Trautmann Mendez and a service ace by the team. Lawrence responded by taking the lead at 14-11 with a series of kills from Alayna Geiser and a service ace by Britta Josephson. Illinois Tech fought back from a 20-15 deficit, fueled by consecutive kills from Trautmann Mendez and a service ace by Brooke Rifkin, to level the score at 21-21. In a tense finish, Illinois Tech capitalized on a bad set by Lawrence's Josephson and an attack error from Chania Tinch to clinch the set 26-24.

The second set between Illinois Tech and Lawrence was closely contested, featuring several momentum shifts. Early in the set, Illinois Tech managed to pull ahead with a 4-2 lead, highlighted by a kill from Trautmann Mendez and a service ace from Rifkin. However, Lawrence quickly countered, tying the score at 5-5 due to an attack error and a service error from Illinois Tech. As the set progressed, Illinois Tech's Victoria Aspurez and London Francis delivered key kills, helping their team maintain a slim advantage at 17-13. Lawrence responded with a run of their own, taking a 21-19 lead thanks to multiple kills by Margaret Hahnke and timely service aces from Ally Corrente. The teams traded points in a tense finish, with Lawrence ultimately securing the set 29-27 after a kill by Tinch.

In the third set against Lawrence, Illinois Tech initially matched their opponent point for point, but a pivotal run by Lawrence shifted the momentum. After an early exchange, Aspurez's service ace and Trautmann Mendez's kill gave Illinois Tech a brief 4-3 lead. However, Lawrence responded decisively, with Hahnke leading a 10-0 run from 4-5 to 5-15, featuring multiple kills and service aces. Illinois Tech managed to reduce the deficit with a series of points, including a block by Aspurez, narrowing the gap to 15-22. Despite a late push with Francis and Sydney Wilson contributing key kills, Lawrence maintained control and secured the set at 25-18, with Hahnke closing the set with a kill.

Illinois Tech edged out Lawrence in a closely contested fourth set, culminating in a 27-25 victory. Illinois Tech began the set strongly with a 6-1 lead, highlighted by consecutive points from Trautmann Mendez, who recorded multiple kills. However, Lawrence responded with a 9-2 run, leveling the score at 10-10, driven by Audrey Weier's effective kills. As the set progressed, both teams traded points intensely, with Illinois Tech benefiting from strategic plays by Rowan Midgette, who assisted on several key kills. The game remained tight, tied at 24-24, until Illinois Tech capitalized on Lawrence's attack errors to secure the final points and clinch the set.

The fifth set between Illinois Tech and Lawrence was marked by back-and-forth scoring and tense exchanges. Lawrence started strong with a kill by Hahnke, but Illinois Tech quickly responded, with Aspurez securing multiple kills to keep the score close. Midgette facilitated several successful plays for Illinois Tech, contributing to kills by Wilson and Cecilia Veters. The set saw several service errors from both teams, maintaining a tight scoreline. Despite Illinois Tech's efforts, including a service ace by Veters, Lawrence edged ahead in the final moments, with a service ace by Corrente sealing the set at 16-14 in favor of Lawrence.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Victoria Aspurez  
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- 9 kills (2 errors, 20 attempts, .350 hitting percentage)  
- 8 total blocks  
- 16.0 points  

Karla Trautmann Mendez  
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- 21 kills (5 errors, 61 attempts, .262 hitting percentage)  
- 9 digs  
- 22.0 points  

Rowan Midgette  
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- 39 assists  
- 19 digs  
- 5 total blocks  

Brooke Rifkin  
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- 20 digs  
- 2 service aces  
- 3 assists  

Lawrence Top Performers

Margaret Hahnke  
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- 24 kills  
- 4 service aces  
- 15 digs  
- 29.0 points  

Ally Corrente  
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- 50 assists  
- 5 service aces  
- 8 digs  

Aria Wessel  
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- 24 digs  
- 3 assists  

Alayna Geiser  
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- 16 digs  
- 2 service aces  

Game Notes 
- Lawrence evens the series history with Illinois Tech at 1-1. Illinois Tech won the first contest 3-1 on September 4th, 2021.

Up Next
Looking ahead, Illinois Tech will be the home team versus University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire at UChicago's Ratner Athletic Center Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. match against the host University of Chicago Maroons at 6:30 p.m.