CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On their second leg of their two-game trip to New England, Illinois Tech men's volleyball faced off against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Thursday night at Rockwell Cage, dropping the match in straight sets with scores of 20-25, 17-25, 21-25. Despite the loss, Illinois Tech showcased their defensive skills, recording 8.5 team blocks, outblocking MIT's total of 7.5. Senior Jelani Kimoto established a new career-high in total blocks in a game with 8.

How It Happened

The match kicked off with Illinois Tech grabbing an early edge, thanks to a block by Jelani Kimoto and Bryan Evans, following an MIT attack error. Paul Henderson kept the momentum going with two quick kills assisted by Samuel Goh, pushing Illinois Tech ahead to 4-2. However, MIT's Alexander Garrett countered with several kills, leveling the score. The Engineers took control with a series of service errors from Illinois Tech and a crucial ace by Braeden Baker, pulling ahead to 18-13. Despite late kills from Evans, the Engineers closed out the set with a final strike by Nate Toth, assisted by Colin Zimmerman, finishing 25-20.

In the second set, MIT capitalized on Illinois Tech's attack errors and powerful serves to jump to an early lead. Service aces from Ryan Espinoza at 4-2 and 6-2 widened MIT's advantage. The Scarlet Hawks struggled to find their rhythm, facing a tough MIT defense. Though Evans and Aaron Hanny fought back with several kills, MIT's Toth dominated, ending the period at 25-17 with a decisive kill by Michael Rini.

The third set saw MIT secure a 25-21 victory, opening with a strong start led by Carlos Rijos, who contributed a service ace and a kill, bringing the score to 5-1. Illinois Tech rallied with a kill from Maximo Dowling and consecutive blocks by Kimoto and Evans, tying it up at 12-12. Yet, MIT regained momentum with key plays from Garrett and Espinoza. Despite a late surge from Illinois Tech, including Dowling's kills, MIT sealed the match with a decisive kill by Rijos, assisted by Jensen Fiskin.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Bryan Evans  
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- 6 kills on 14 attempts with a .357 hitting percentage  
- 5 block assists  
- 8.5 points  

Jelani Kimoto  
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- 3 kills on 9 attempts with a .222 hitting percentage  
- 8 total blocks (single game career-high)

Maximo Dowling  
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- 9 kills on 17 attempts  
- 4 digs  
- 9.0 points  

MIT Top Performers

Michael Rini
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- 5 total blocks
- 6.5 points
- 0 errors in attack

Ryan Espinoza
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- 5 kills
- 2 service aces
- 8 points

Nate Toth
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- 14 kills
- 1 solo block
- 17 points

Alexander Garrett
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- 14 kills
- 14.5 points
- 0 errors in setting

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech fell to 0-3 lifetime against MIT.
- Kimoto achieved 8 total blocks, setting a new single game career-high
- Evans posted 5 total blocks, above the season average of 0.47.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will host Edgewood University on Saturday, March 21. The match starts at 3 p.m. at the Keating Sports Center.