Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech men's volleyball, fresh off their five-set home victory over Concordia Wisconsin on Wednesday, was back at Keating Saturday afternoon for another conference battle as Wisconsin Lutheran came to town. Illinois Tech clinched a narrow victory over the Warriors, with a 3-2 win. Illinois Tech secured the match with set scores of 25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 20-25, and 15-11, highlighted by a .414 hitting percentage in the final set.

Illinois Tech has an overall record of 3-9 and stands at 2-1 in NACC conference play. Wis. Lutheran holds a 7-5 overall record, also with a 2-1 mark in NACC competition.

How It Happened

The match started with Illinois Tech taking an early lead against Wis. Lutheran. Maximo Dowling opened the scoring with a kill, assisted by Samuel Goh, setting the tone for a competitive first set. Illinois Tech capitalized on Wis. Lutheran's errors, including a crucial service error by Brady Pichler that gave the home team a 9-3 lead. Paul Henderson's consecutive service aces extended Illinois Tech's advantage to 12-9. Despite Wis. Lutheran's efforts to equalize, Illinois Tech maintained its lead through consistent play, with Goh securing the final point with a kill, concluding the set at 25-20.

Illinois Tech took control in the second set with a strong sequence of plays, culminating in a 25-19 win over the Warriors. Paul Henderson's service aces at 13-13 shifted momentum, contributing to five consecutive points for the Scarlet Hawks. Jelani Kimoto and Tyson Haufschild each delivered key kills, with Haufschild scoring multiple times to keep the home team ahead. Despite a few attack errors, Illinois Tech maintained its lead, sealing the set with a final point from a bad set by Wis. Lutheran's Adonis Hilton.

In the third set, the Warriors edged Illinois Tech in a closely contested battle. The set began with the Warriors taking an early 2-0 lead following an attack error by Dowling and a kill by Pichler. Illinois Tech responded with Henderson securing a kill and Dowling contributing multiple successful attacks, bringing the score to a 9-9 tie. The Warriors then pulled ahead with a series of kills, including contributions from Drew Wempner and Noah Kern, reaching a 19-18 advantage. Despite a late push from Illinois Tech, including a kill by Colten Farrell to even the score at 23-23, the Warriors ultimately clinched the set 26-24 with consecutive kills from Pichler.

In the fourth set, Illinois Tech started with an early service ace by Haufschild, but a series of errors allowed the Warriors to maintain a lead. Farrell delivered multiple key plays, including a kill and two consecutive service aces, tying the score at 12-12. Despite this effort, the Warriors capitalized on Illinois Tech's attack errors, with Hilton and Kern contributing significant kills. A service ace by Carson Rau extended the Warriors' lead to 24-19. Although Illinois Tech managed to gain a point from a service error, Kern's kill sealed the set for the Warriors, 25-20.

In the decisive fifth set, Illinois Tech capitalized on key plays to secure a 15-11 victory over the Warriors. Dowling was instrumental in the win, recording multiple kills with assistance from Goh, contributing to a 5-3 lead. Kimoto and Farrell added crucial points, maintaining Illinois Tech's advantage despite a service error that tied the score briefly at 8-all. Bryan Evans delivered the final blow with a kill from Goh's set, sealing the win for Illinois Tech.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Maximo Dowling  
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- 23 kills  
- 10 digs  
- 24.0 points  

Tyson Haufschild  
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- 12 kills  
- 10 digs  
- 13.5 points  

Paul Henderson  
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- 7 service aces  
- 15 digs  
- 11.0 points  

Samuel Goh
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- 45 assists  
- 12 digs  

Colten Farrell  
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- 8 kills  
- 2 service aces  
- 3 total blocks

Wis. Lutheran Top Performers

Drew Wempner
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- 4 kills
- 9 total blocks
- 10.5 points

Noah Kern
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- 9 kills
- 6 total blocks
- 12.5 points

Adonis Hilton
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- 14 kills
- 6 digs
- 15.0 points

Game Notes:
- The Scarlet Hawks improved to 6-0 lifetime against the Warriors.
- Team - Totaled a season-high of 10 serve aces in the game.
- Team - Achieved a season-high of 61 kills in the game.
- Dowling - Recorded at least 23 kills in consecutive games for the second time.
- Haufschild - Recorded a season-high of 12 kills.
- Goh - Provided 45 set assists, a career-high

Up Next
Looking ahead, Illinois Tech will travel to Lakeland University on Tuesday, March 3 at 6 p.m. in Plymouth, Wisconsin. The Scarlet Hawks and the Muskies will resume their suspended match from February 17th, with Illinois Tech leading 1 game to nothing, with the second set tied at 18-18.