FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Coming off a thrilling upset conference win at Dominican on Thursday, the program's first ever win over the Stars, the Illinois Tech men's volleyball team was looking to extend their conference victory total with a road match at Marian University, who were winless in conference play. The Sabres had other plans on this afternoon however, as the Scarlet Hawks 2-0 lead was erased with 3 unanswered set victories for the Sabres to claim the match victory 3-2 Saturday at Sadoff Gymnasium.

The Scarlet Hawks dropped to 5-12 overall and 4-4 in NACC play. The Sabres improved to 5-14 overall and to 1-6 in conference.

The 5-set loss for the Hawks overshadowed two great individual performances by the Scarlet Hawks: sophomore outside hitter Maximo Dowling racked up 30 kills, setting a new career-high and moving into 2nd place in the school record book for kills in a single match. Freshman setter Samuel Goh tied a school record with 51 assists in a single match, tied with Michael Ganczar's 51 assists against Concordia Chicago on March 16th, 2019.

How It Happened

The match kicked off with a nail-biter as Illinois Tech edged out Marian University 27-25 in the first set. The teams traded points early, but a key kill by Jelani Kimoto pushed Illinois Tech ahead 10-7. Marian rallied back, tying it at 17-17, before Illinois Tech capitalized on Marian's errors. Maximo Dowling sealed the deal with back-to-back kills, clinching the set for Illinois Tech.

In the second set, Illinois Tech jumped to an early 3-0 lead from Marian's attack errors. Bryan Evans and Dowling delivered clutch kills to maintain momentum. Despite service errors, a crucial ace by Samuel Goh put Illinois Tech back on top at 19-18. The Scarlet Hawks extended their lead to 24-20 and Dowling's decisive kill wrapped up the set 25-21.

The third period was a back-and-forth affair with no clear leader. Illinois Tech's Aaron Hanny and Dowling delivered key kills, supported by defensive blocks from Kimoto and Goh. Marian, however, fought back with a late surge from Trent Goo Sun, clinching the set 25-23 after an Illinois Tech attack error.

Illinois Tech and Marian were neck-and-neck in the fourth, with Kyle Boger's kill giving Illinois Tech a 9-6 lead. Marian's Adrian Calderon-Castro tied it at 16-16 with crucial plays. Tyson Haufschild's kill leveled it at 20-20, but Marian pulled ahead, taking the set 25-23 on Calderon-Castro's final kill.

The decisive fifth set was a thriller. Illinois Tech started strong with Dowling's kills contributing to a 4-1 lead. Marian countered, evening it at 5-5 with pivotal plays from Goo Sun and Luke Jones. Despite Dowling's efforts, tying it at 14-14, Marian clinched the match 16-14 after a crucial Illinois Tech attack error.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Maximo Dowling  
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- 30 kills (career-high)
- .286 hitting percentage  
- 32 points  

Jelani Kimoto  
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- 6 total blocks  
- 6 kills  
- 10 points  

Samuel Goh  
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- 51 assists (career-high)
- 7 digs  
- 2 service aces  

Marian Top Performers

Trent Goo Sun  
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- 23 kills  
- 11 digs  
- 26.5 points  

Adrian Calderon-Castro  
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- 13 kills  
- 15 digs  
- 3 block assists  

Giancarlo Bou  
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- 37 assists  
- 6 digs  
- 3 block assists  

Luke Jones  
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- 7 total blocks  
- 6 kills  
- 9.5 points  

Game Notes
- Illinois Tech's record against Marian University (WI) now stands at 1-12.
- The team achieved a season-high 65 kills in the game.
- Maximo Dowling hit a career-high with 30 kills.
- Samuel Goh's 51 assists set a career-high
- Jelani Kimoto exceeded his season average with 6 total blocks.

Up Next
Illinois Tech will take on Emmanuel College (Mass.) on Wednesday, March 18 at 6 p.m. CT in Boston, Massachusetts, the first stop in the team's spring break trip to the Boston area.