RIVER FOREST, Ill. — Illinois Tech men's volleyball has hung tough but fallen short in matchups with the upper tier teams in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) this season. On Thursday night, the Scarlet Hawks got the signature win they were looking for, taking down 3rd place Dominican University with a 3-1 victory at the Igini Sports Forum. Illinois Tech secured the win with strong offensive performances, highlighted by a .435 attack percentage in the second set.

Illinois Tech has a record of 5-11 overall and 4-3 in the NACC. Dominican maintains a 12-4 overall record with a 4-2 mark in NACC play. This was also the Scarlet Hawks first victory over Dominican in the program's history.

How It Happened

The first set of play began with Illinois Tech and Dominican exchanging points, with neither team able to establish an early lead. Illinois Tech initially took advantage of an attack error by Thomas Hirsch to open the scoring. However, Dominican quickly responded, with Hirsch and Kendall Esparza contributing key kills to push Dominican ahead. Illinois Tech managed to tie the score at 12-12 with a kill by Bryan Evans, but Dominican pulled away again, aided by three consecutive service aces from Esparza. Despite efforts from Maximo Dowling and Sebastian Dominguez to close the gap, Dominican secured the set 25-19, capitalizing on an attack error by Dowling for the final point.

The Scarlet Hawks capitalized on a strong start in the second set, establishing a 3-0 lead with Aaron Hanny and Evans contributing early kills. A series of Dominican errors, including service and attack errors, helped Illinois Tech maintain their momentum. Despite a brief rally by the Stars, which tied the score at 10-10, Illinois Tech regained control. Paul Henderson's serving proved pivotal as he delivered two aces, extending the lead to 21-14. Dowling's final kill, assisted by Samuel Goh, combined with an attack error by Casey Goss, closed out the set at 25-16 in favor of Illinois Tech.

Illinois Tech narrowly edged Dominican in a tense third set, 25-23. Dowling's strong performance was pivotal, contributing multiple kills including the decisive point, assisted by Goh. Illinois Tech led 7-3 early due to a series of successful plays, including a block by Evans and Jelani Kimoto, but Dominican fought back to tie the score at 19-19. Hirsch of Dominican was effective, consistently delivering kills to keep the set competitive. Ultimately, Dowling sealed the win for Illinois Tech with a kill, capping a hard-fought set.

The Scarlet Hawks secured a decisive victory in the fourth set, concluding with a 25-17 score over Dominican. Evans led the offense with a strong start, contributing three kills early on, aided by Goh's consistent setting. Illinois Tech capitalized on Dominican's errors, including multiple service errors and attack miscues, to maintain their lead. Dowling's service ace and the team's overall effective blocking further increased their advantage, culminating in a service error by Dominican that sealed the set for Illinois Tech.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Bryan Evans  
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- 14 kills (2 errors, 27 attempts) with a .444 hitting percentage  
- six digs  
- two total blocks  
- 15.5 points  

Maximo Dowling  
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- 17 kills (6 errors, 32 attempts) with a .344 hitting percentage  
- eight digs  
- one service ace  
- 18.5 points  

Samuel Goh  
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- 35 assists  
- seven digs  

Aaron Hanny  
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- 10 kills (0 errors, 19 attempts) with a .526 hitting percentage  
- one total block  
- 10.5 points  

Dominican Top Performers
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Ty Geschke
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- 19 kills
- 19.5 points
- 6 digs

Thomas Hirsch
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- 12 kills
- 0.471 hitting percentage
- 4 total blocks

Landon Kassulke
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- 39 assists
- 3.5 points
- 6 digs

Kendall Esparza
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- 7 kills
- 3 service aces
- 9 digs

Game Notes:
- That was Illinois Tech's first-ever win against Dominican, improving to 1-8 lifetime.
- Hanny registered a season-high of 10 kills.
- Evans registered a season-high of 14 kills.

Up Next
Looking ahead, the Scarlet Hawks will face Marian University on Saturday, March 14, at noon. The match will take place in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.