Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech men's volleyball fell to California Lutheran University in a 3-0 match at Keating Sports Center on Friday evening, with set scores of 25-17, 25-11, and 25-16. Cal Lutheran  recorded a .419 hitting percentage.

Illinois Tech holds an overall record of 0-5. Cal Lutheran stands at 8-1 this season.

How It Happened

The match began with Cal Lutheran taking an early lead, capitalizing on an attack error by Tyson Haufschild and a series of kills, including one by Connor Crawford from Gavin Galanski, to go up 3-0. The Scarlet Hawks managed to get on the board with a kill by Maximo Dowling set by Elijah Johnson, but the Kingsmen maintained their momentum. Brendan Hom and Tyler Linville contributed to Cal Lutheran's scoring, with Hom registering multiple kills and Linville adding a service ace to extend their advantage. Despite Illinois Tech's efforts, including notable kills from Jelani Kimoto and Dowling, Cal Lutheran continued to dominate, closing the set with a service ace to secure a 25-17 victory.

Cal Lutheran surged ahead early in the second set, capitalizing on multiple errors from Illinois Tech. Matthew Wilcox and Connor Crawford contributed significant blocks to extend Cal Lutheran's lead to 6-3. Brendan Hom's kill and Matthew Wilcox's scoring efforts helped Cal Lutheran increase their advantage to 11-7. A series of Illinois Tech attack errors widened the gap further, with Paul Henderson's errors contributing to a 17-7 Cal Lutheran lead. Despite a late rally by Illinois Tech with kills from Bryan Evans and Sebastian Dominguez, Cal Lutheran closed out the set 25-11, with a final attack error by Evans sealing the victory.

Cal Lutheran secured a decisive 25-16 victory in the third set against Illinois Tech, capitalizing on a series of errors and effective attacks. The set saw Illinois Tech struggle with service errors, including three by their players, which contributed to Cal Lutheran's early momentum. Connor Crawford led Cal Lutheran with multiple kills, including a pivotal one set up by Gavin Galanski that pushed the score to 14-8. Illinois Tech managed to close the gap slightly with a service ace by Paul Henderson, but Cal Lutheran's consistent scoring, highlighted by a late service ace from Evan Ford, extended their lead to 22-15. Ryan Foreman sealed the set with a final kill, assisted by Braden Gonzales, concluding the set at 25-16.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Elijah Johnson  
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- 17 assists  
- 3 digs  

Jelani Kimoto  
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- 5 kills on 13 attempts (.308 hitting percentage)  
- 1 block assist  

Maximo Dowling  
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- 7 kills  
- 5 digs  


Cal Lutheran Top Performers

Connor Crawford  
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- 10 kills  
- 4 total blocks  
- 13.5 points  

Brendan Hom  
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- 11 kills  
- 2 solo blocks  
- 13.5 points  

Gavin Galanski  
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- 29 assists  
- 1 service ace  
- 4 digs  

Game Notes:  
- Illinois Tech falls to 0-4 lifetime versus Cal Lutheran.

Up Next
Looking ahead, Illinois Tech will face Loras College on Friday, Feb. 6, at 4 p.m. in Springfield, Ohio.