Aurora, Ill. — The Illinois Tech Men's volleyball team (1-9, 0-1 NACC) fell to Aurora University (8-3, 3-0 NACC) in straight sets, 0-3, at Thornton Gymnasium on Thursday night. Despite the loss, the Scarlet Hawks managed to tally 30 kills and 29 assists in the contest.

How It Happened

The opening set commenced with Aurora establishing an early advantage, propelled by Ammar Brzovic's two consecutive kills, giving them a 2-0 lead. The Scarlet Hawks responded with a few scattered points, highlighted by Paul Henderson's kill, narrowing the gap to 6-5. However, Aurora capitalized on several attack errors from Illinois Tech and extended its lead to 15-11, following a kill by Connor Carroll. Despite Illinois Tech's efforts to close in, with Maximo Dowling contributing a pair of kills, Aurora maintained its momentum. The set concluded with Aurora's defense forcing consecutive attack errors from Illinois Tech, securing a 25-19 victory.

Illinois Tech started the second set with strong momentum, taking a 3-0 lead on a kill by Bryan Evans and a service ace by Samuel Goh. The Spartans responded, leveling the score at 8-8 with a block by Connor Carroll. The teams exchanged points, with neither able to establish a clear advantage. Aurora pulled ahead 16-13 after a kill from SJ Nelson, but Illinois Tech remained competitive, narrowing the gap to 20-18 after a kill by Colten Farrell. However, Aurora capitalized on errors and a final kill by Nelson to secure the set 25-21.

Aurora took control of the third set early and maintained their momentum throughout. With a solid performance by SJ Nelson, who contributed two early kills, Aurora extended their lead to 6-2. Illinois Tech managed to respond with a kill from Colten Farrell, bringing the score to 6-3, but Aurora quickly regained control. Ammar Brzovic and Connor Carroll each added key kills, pushing Aurora's lead to 10-4. Despite efforts from Illinois Tech's Bryan Evans and Jelani Kimoto, who combined for several blocks and kills, Aurora consistently capitalized on Illinois Tech's errors. The set concluded at 25-16 with Solomon Dail securing the final point for Aurora with a kill.


Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Paul Henderson  
----------------------  
- 9 kills on 16 attempts  
- 8 digs  
- 9 points  

Bryan Evans  
----------------------  
- 8 kills  
- 3 digs  
- 8.5 points  

Samuel Goh  
----------------------  
- 27 assists  
- 1 service ace  
- 3 digs  

Colten Farrell  
----------------------  
- 4 kills on 9 attempts with a .444 hitting percentage  
- 2 solo blocks  
- 6 points  

Aurora Top Performers

SJ Nelson
----------------------
- 13 points
- 10 kills
- 4 total blocks
- 7 digs

Ammar Brzovic
----------------------
- 11.5 points
- 10 kills
- 0.692 hitting percentage
- 3 total blocks

Connor Carroll
----------------------
- 9 points
- 6 digs
- 3 total blocks

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech falls to 2-11 lifetime against Aurora.

Up Next
Looking ahead, the Scarlet Hawks will take on Concordia University (Wis.) on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. The match will be held at the Keating Sports Center in Chicago, Illinois.