River Forest, Ill. — Illinois Tech Men's Volleyball concluded their non conference schedule against the University of California, Santa Cruz, dropping straight sets 14-25, 19-25, 23-25 at the neutral Igini Sports Forum on Friday afternoon. Despite the outcome, Illinois Tech showed a marked improvement in their attack percentage in the third set, reaching .407.
How It Happened
Illinois Tech opened the first set with energy, but the Banana Slugs quickly found their rhythm. Key kills from Riley Norman and Noy Fisher, along with Logan Taylor's assists, helped UC Santa Cruz build a steady lead. Despite strong efforts from
Aaron Hanny and
Paul Henderson, who both delivered critical kills, the Scarlet Hawks couldn't bridge the gap. The Banana Slugs took advantage of service aces and Illinois Tech's errors, sealing the first set 25-14, with the final point coming from a
Tyson Haufschild attack error.
In the second set, the Banana Slugs surged ahead with a series of strong plays, including two service aces by Fisher, establishing a commanding lead. Illinois Tech struggled with service errors, widening the gap further. Haufschild contributed several key kills, narrowing the deficit slightly, but challenges persisted. A late push from Illinois Tech, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Henderson, wasn't enough to shift momentum, as the Banana Slugs closed the set with a kill by Drake Harris, winning 25-19.
The third set was a nail-biter, with UC Santa Cruz edging Illinois Tech 25-23. The set featured multiple lead changes, with Henderson delivering key kills from
Matthew Michler's setups, including one that brought the score to 18-19. The Banana Slugs countered with effective plays, and Evan Erickson's final kill, assisted by Caio Valente, secured the set. Illinois Tech capitalized on several opponent errors but couldn't overcome UC Santa Cruz's consistent scoring.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Paul Henderson
----------------------
- 6 kills, 1 error, 10 attempts, .500 hitting percentage
- 4 assists
- 2 service aces
Aaron Hanny
----------------------
- 7 kills, 3 errors, 18 attempts, .222 hitting percentage
- 7 total points
Matthew Michler
----------------------
- 12 assists
Kyler Boger
----------------------
- 4 kills, no errors, 6 attempts, .667 hitting percentage
- 1 service ace
Tyson Haufschild
----------------------
- 6 kills, 3 errors, 13 attempts, .231 hitting percentage
- 3 digs
UC Santa Cruz Top Performers
Noy Fisher
----------------------
- 7 service aces
- 15.0 points
Logan Taylor
----------------------
- 23 assists
- 6 digs
Evan Erickson
----------------------
- 9 kills
- 0.727 hitting percentage
- 10.0 points
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech is now 0-6 against UC Santa Cruz.
- Michler surpassed his season average of 6.62 assists, recording 12 set assists.
- Hanny exceeded his season average of 4.1 kills, recording 7 in the match.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks are set to take on St. Norbert College on Saturday, March 28. The match kicks off at noon in De Pere, Wisconsin as the Scarlet Hawks have two more NACC matches to secure a conference tournament appearance.
