RIVER FOREST, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's volleyball defeated Concordia Chicago 3-1 (25-13, 25-13, 27-29, 25-19) on Wednesday night at Geiseman Gymnasium, earning a NACC road win in the process. The Scarlet Hawks recorded 60 kills and 14 service aces while holding Concordia Chicago to a .008 hitting percentage.
Payton Smith set a career-high with 16 kills.
The Scarlet Hawks are 12-6 overall and 3-1 in NACC play, taking over sole possession of 5th place in the conference. Concordia Chicago is 6-9 overall and 2-2 in NACC play.
How It Happened
After the teams traded points into a 3-3 tie, the Scarlet Hawks moved in front with a four-point run that included a
Lilia Donaldson kill, back-to-back service aces from
Karla Trautmann Mendez and another Donaldson kill for a 7-3 lead. Concordia Chicago cut the margin to 7-5, but
Maya Zinkiewicz followed with an ace and
Payton Smith had four kills as the Scarlet Hawks pushed ahead 14-8. Smith added another kill,
Victoria Aspurez and
Sydney Wilson followed with kills, and Smith served an ace during a four-point stretch that made it 18-10. The Scarlet Hawks kept control late and scored the final four points, with
Rowan Midgette putting down two kills around a Donaldson kill to close the set 25-13.
The Scarlet Hawks built a 9-2 lead in the second set behind early kills from Trautmann Mendez, Smith, Aspurez and Wilson, along with service aces from Smith and Aspurez. The Scarlet Hawks pushed the margin to 17-7 before Concordia Chicago took five straight points, including a Jessalyn Perkins kill and service ace, to close the gap to 17-12. Wilson answered with back-to-back Scarlet Hawks kills around a Concordia Chicago error, and after the Cougars reached 19-13, the Scarlet Hawks scored the final six points, with Donaldson and Wilson combining on a block before Donaldson finished consecutive kills for a 25-13 set win.
Concordia Chicago built a 10-3 lead in the third set with early kills from Neva Foster and a Debanhi Moreno service ace before the Scarlet Hawks cut into the deficit behind a Trautmann Mendez ace and a Zinkiewicz service stretch that included a Smith kill and a Zinkiewicz ace. An
Annalise Clark ace and a block by Aspurez and Midgette tied the set at 13-13, and Aspurez followed with a kill to put the Scarlet Hawks ahead 14-13. Concordia Chicago moved back in front 19-17, but the Scarlet Hawks answered with five straight points, getting kills from Donaldson, Midgette and Donaldson again before a Trautmann Mendez ace made it 22-19. Bethany Roethel served back-to-back aces to tie it at 22-22, and after the teams traded points through 27-27, Concordia Chicago took the final two points to win the set 29-27.
After the teams traded the first four points to 2-2, the Scarlet Hawks moved ahead with four straight points, using an Aspurez ace and kills by Trautmann Mendez and Wilson to build a 6-2 lead. The Scarlet Hawks later led 15-8 after an Aspurez kill, but Concordia Chicago scored the next three points on kills by Jessalyn Perkins and Neva Foster around a Scarlet Hawks attack error before Aspurez answered with a kill for a 16-11 edge. Concordia Chicago cut the margin to 17-14, but the Scarlet Hawks responded with a block by Donaldson and
Olivia McMath, a Wilson ace and a Concordia Chicago attack error to move in front 20-14. Concordia Chicago pulled within four at 23-19 late, but Smith put down a kill from Clark and followed with a service ace to finish the Scarlet Hawks' 25-19 set win.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Payton Smith
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- team-high 16 kills
- team-high 20.5 points
- 14 digs
- 4 service aces
Karla Trautmann Mendez
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- 13 kills
- 17 points
- 4 service aces
Rowan Midgette
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- team-high 31 assists
- 7 digs
- 3 kills
Annalise Clark
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- team-high 18 digs
- 1 service ace
Maya Zinkiewicz
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- 17 digs
- 2 service aces
Concordia Chicago Top Performers
Rosemary Brenner
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- 30 digs
Malainna Adler
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- 19 assists
- 10 digs
Jessalyn Perkins
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- 5 total blocks, including 1 solo
- 4 kills
- 1 service ace
Match Notes
- The Scarlet Hawks improved to 8-4 lifetime against Concordia Chicago, winning the last 7 consecutive matches.
- Team - Achieved a season-high 14 service aces in the match.
- Team - Recorded a season-high 60 kills in the match.
- Donaldson - Recorded 3 or more total blocks in 2 consecutive matches.
- Zinkiewicz - Achieved a season-high of 17 digs.
- Smith - Recorded a career-high of 16 kills.
- Smith - Achieved a season-high of 14 digs.
- Aspurez - Recorded at least 2 service aces in 3 consecutive matches.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to face Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, at noon in another NACC battle.
