Springfield, Ohio — Men's Volleyball team fell to Loras College 3-1 in a non-conference matchup on Friday at Pam Evans Smith Arena. Loras maintained its unbeaten record with strong performances in the first and second sets, while Illinois Tech claimed the third set with a score of 25-23. Illinois Tech falls to 0-6 on the season but they continue to challenge themselves against ranked opponents
How It Happened
Loras secured the first set against Illinois Tech with a 25-17 victory. The Duhawks initially took the lead with a kill by Connor Jaral, assisted by Evan Dziadkowiec, and maintained their momentum through consistent offensive plays. Illinois Tech's
Tyson Haufschild contributed with multiple kills, including his second point at 3-1, assisted by
Elijah Johnson. Despite Illinois Tech's efforts, Loras capitalized on attack errors and service errors from the Scarlet Hawks to extend their lead. A series of kills from Jaral and Roman Rothermel, also set by Dziadkowiec, bolstered Loras's scoring, culminating in Jaral's final kill to clinch the set.
The Duhawks took control early in the second set with a strong performance, building a 5-0 lead, aided by Roman Rothermel's kills and multiple attack errors from Illinois Tech. Despite a couple of kills by Haufschild and
Maximo Dowling, Illinois Tech struggled to close the gap as Loras capitalized on errors and effective attacks, notably from Jacob Strahan and Elijah Passey.
Paul Henderson provided a spark for Illinois Tech with multiple kills, bringing some momentum late in the set. However, Loras maintained their lead, concluding the set 25-13 with a kill from Rothermel, benefitting from several Scarlet Hawks service errors.
The third set featured a competitive back-and-forth between the Scarlet Hawks and the Duhawks, with neither team able to establish a dominant lead. Loras took an early 2-0 lead with a kill by Rothermel, but Illinois Tech responded to tie the score at 3-3 with a kill from Henderson. Later in the set, Illinois Tech gained momentum with back-to-back service aces by
Sebastian Dominguez, pushing the score to 17-15 in their favor. The Duhawks narrowed the gap, reaching a close 24-23 with a kill by Jaral, but Illinois Tech sealed the set 25-23 on a decisive kill by Henderson from a
Samuel Goh assist.
The Scarlet Hawks faced a challenging fourth set as Loras gained an early lead, with Jaral and Rothermel contributing key kills. Despite a service error by the Duhawks that gave Illinois Tech a brief respite, Bo Brainerd III added to Loras' momentum with multiple kills, widening the lead. Illinois Tech's attempts to close the gap included kills from Henderson and
Aaron Hanny; however, they were unable to sustain a run. The Duhawks capitalized on errors from Illinois Tech and secured the set 25-18 with a final kill by Rothermel, concluding the match.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Paul Henderson
----------------------
- 11 kills with a .471 hitting percentage
- 2 digs
Tyson Haufschild
----------------------
- 10 kills
- 8 digs
- 2 blocks (1 solo)
Sebastian Dominguez
----------------------
- 3 service aces
- 3 digs
- 2 blocks (2 assists)
Loras Top Performers
Roman Rothermel
----------------------
- 19.0 points
- 15 kills
- 6 total blocks
Evan Dziadkowiec
----------------------
- 41 assists
- 2.5 points
- 1 service ace
Connor Jaral
----------------------
- 14.5 points
- 14 kills
- 6 digs
Game Notes:
- The Scarlet Hawks fall to 1-8 lifetime against the Duhawks, losing the last four matches.
-
Aaron Hanny - Achieved a season-high of 8 kills.
-
Sebastian Dominguez - Achieved 3 serve aces for the first time this season.
Up Next
Looking ahead, Illinois Tech will face Bridgewater College on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Springfield, Ohio. The match is set for 10 a.m. The match will be the first of three matches tomorrow as they conclude heir weekend trip to Ohio.
