# Illinois Tech Tri-Match 1
Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's volleyball hosted their first tri-match of the season on Saturday, achieving a conference victory against Marian 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-13, 25-16) in the opener but falling to #16 UChicago 3-0 (26-28, 17-25, 19-25). in the night cap. UChicago also defeated Marian 3-0 in the middle match on the day. The Scarlet Hawks are now 11-6 overall and 2-1 in NACC play, while the Sabres stand at 4-14 overall and 0-4 in NACC play. UChicago improved to 16-1 overall.
How It Happened
Match 1: Illinois Tech vs. Marian (WI)
The Scarlet Hawks opened the first set strong, jumping to a 6-1 lead with contributions from
Victoria Aspurez,
Maya Zinkiewicz, and
Sydney Wilson. Despite the Sabres attempting to close the gap, the Scarlet Hawks finished the set with kills from
Payton Smith, Aspurez, and Trautmann Mendez, winning 25-22.
In the second set, the Sabres initially took control, leading 7-4, but the Scarlet Hawks fought back to tie at 7-7. However, the Sabres regained momentum to close the set 25-20.
The third set was dominated by Illinois Tech, highlighted by an 8-0 run that turned a 16-12 lead into a commanding 24-12 advantage, finishing the set 25-13.
The fourth set saw the Scarlet Hawks maintain their lead, starting with a 6-2 advantage. Although the Sabres managed to score in streaks, Illinois Tech secured the set 25-16 with strong performances from Smith and Donaldson.
Match 2: Illinois Tech vs. UChicago
The Scarlet Hawks faced a tough battle against UChicago in the second match. After trailing 12-6 in the first set, they rallied to tie at 17-17, but ultimately lost 28-26 after a close finish.
The second set began poorly for the Scarlet Hawks, with the Maroons taking a quick lead. Illinois Tech fought back to make it 22-16 but fell short, losing 25-17.
In the third set, Illinois Tech started strong but could not maintain the momentum. After pulling within 20-18, they lost the final points, finishing the set 25-19.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
**Match 1 Against Marian (WI)**
Payton Smith
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- 6 service aces
- 15 points
- 12 digs
- 9 kills
Brooke Rifkin
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- 19 digs
Sydney Wilson
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- 12 kills on .321 hitting
- 12 points
Victoria Aspurez
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- 10 kills on .375 hitting
- 3 service aces
- 13 points
Rowan Midgette
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- 21 assists
- 9 digs
**Match 2 Against UChicago**
Rowan Midgette
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- 19 assists
- 12 digs
- 1 block assist
Payton Smith
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- team-high 7 kills
- team-high 8.5 points
- 1 service ace
- 1 block assist
Lilia Donaldson
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- 6 kills
- team-high 3 block assists
- 7.5 points
Victoria Aspurez
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- team-high 2 service aces
- 4 kills
- 2 block assists
- 7.0 points
Brooke Rifkin
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- team-high 13 digs
- 1 service ace
Opponents' Top Performers
**Marian (WI)**
Sofia Rodriguez
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- 17 digs
- 4 assists
- 1 service ace
Kaylie Engebose
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- 18 assists
Kylie Krueger
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- 9 kills
- 9.5 points
- 1 block assist
Khloe Walling
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- 8 kills on .316 hitting
- 9.5 points
- 1 service ace
- 1 block assist
Lily Breed
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- 9 assists
- 10 digs
- 1 service ace
**UChicago**
Julia Lewkowitz
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- 16.0 points
- 14 kills
- 14 digs
- 2 service aces
Ellie Maxwell
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- 32 assists
- 4 service aces
- 5 digs
Kennedy Cheung
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- 23 digs
Adelee Kaiton
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- 9 kills
- 8 digs
- 1 block assist
Thalita Marangon
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- 8 kills
- 7 digs
- 2 block assists
Match Notes
- The Scarlet Hawks improved to 5-4 lifetime against the Sabres, winning the last 4 consecutive matches.
- The Scarlet Hawks fell to 2-7 lifetime against the Maroons, losing the last 7 consecutive matches.
- Illinois Tech has achieved at least 58 digs in 5 consecutive matches.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will travel to River Forest, Illinois, to face Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. in NACC play.
