DE PERE, Wis. — In a match in which the team had a season-high 72 kills and freshman setter Samuel Goh broke the school single-match record in assists, the Illinois Tech volleyball team faced a tough battle against St. Norbert College, ultimately falling in a thrilling five-set match, 3-2 on Saturday at Mulva Family Fitness & Sports Center. 

Goh finished the match with 57 assists, breaking the previous record of 51 assists set by Michael Ganczar in March of 2019 against CUC, and tied by Goh on March 14th in the Scarlet Hawks match at Marian.

Illinois Tech dropped to 6-17 overall and 4-7 in NACC play. St. Norbert, the team directly in front of the Scarlet Hawks in the conference standings, improved to 5-6 in the NACC and 12-13 overall.

How It Happened

The Scarlet Hawks jumped out to an early lead in the first set, with Maximo Dowling scoring the opening point on a kill assisted by Jelani Kimoto. However, the Green Knights quickly turned the tide with a series of service aces from Kade Nelson, pulling ahead 6-2. Service errors from Illinois Tech contributed to St. Norbert's advantage, and despite a late push with kills from Dowling and Paul Henderson, the Hawks couldn't close the gap. St. Norbert clinched the set 25-21 with a decisive kill by Kaden Kornaus, set up by Michael Whitney.

In a nail-biting second set, St. Norbert edged out Illinois Tech 31-29. Samuel Goh played a pivotal role, delivering a service ace and multiple assists, including a crucial kill by Dowling that tied the game at 28-28. Henderson was active with several key kills, leveling the score at 24-24. But it was Noah Cullen of St. Norbert who sealed the set with a kill, following a critical block by Nelson and Jacob Van Ooyen.

The third set saw St. Norbert taking an early lead due to attack errors by Illinois Tech, advancing to 7-2. The Scarlet Hawks countered with a strong service game, including two aces by Dowling, cutting the deficit to 8-6. Henderson's steady performance helped Illinois Tech tie the score at 12-12, leading to a tense exchange of points. The Scarlet Hawks finally secured the set 29-27 with significant contributions from Dowling and Kyle Boger.

Illinois Tech claimed a narrow victory in the fourth set, winning 26-24. After establishing an early 5-1 lead with help from Boger and Henderson, Illinois Tech faced a resilient comeback from St. Norbert, which tied the score at 9-9. Key plays included a service ace by Barry Applewhite for the Green Knights and consistent assists from Goh for the Scarlet Hawks. The set concluded with a decisive block by Boger and Dowling, followed by a kill by Goh, securing the win for the Scarlet Hawks.

In the decisive fifth set, the Green Knights managed to pull ahead for a 15-11 victory. Dowling opened with a kill assisted by Goh, but the Green Knights quickly responded with strong efforts from Whitney and Kornaus, whose multiple kills pushed the score to 4-1. Despite efforts from Tyson Haufschild and Henderson to close the gap with timely kills, Kornaus and Applewhite found openings in the Scarlet Hawks' defense. St. Norbert extended their lead to 10-4, with Whitney playing a crucial role in setting up key points. A late rally from Illinois Tech, featuring blocks by Dowling and Kimoto, wasn't enough to turn the tide, as the Green Knights finished off the set with a kill by Kornaus and an Illinois Tech attack error to clinch the match.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Maximo Dowling  
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- 21 kills  
- four service aces  
- four blocks
- 27.5 points  

Paul Henderson  
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- 19 kills  
- two service aces  
- 21 points  

Samuel Goh  
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- 57 assists (new school record)
- five total blocks  
- seven digs  

Zachary Baus  
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- 16 digs  
- four assists  

Kyle Boger  
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- 12 kills  
- 0.400 hitting percentage  
- three total blocks  

St. Norbert Top Performers

Kade Nelson
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- 13 kills
- 18.5 points
- 0.462 hitting percentage
- 4 total blocks

Kaden Kornaus
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- 20 kills
- 20.0 points
- 6 digs

Michael Whitney
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- 56 assists
- 9 digs
- 3 total blocks

Ryan Conway
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- 17 digs
- 5 assists

Barry Applewhite
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- 7 kills
- 5 total blocks
- 11.0 points

Game Notes:
- Team - Achieved a season-high 72 kills, surpassing their previous best for the 2025-26 season.
- Jelani Kimoto - Recorded 7 kills, exceeding their season average of 3.67.
- Kyle Boger - Notched a season-high 12 kills.
- Zachary Baus - Achieved 16 digs, well above their season average of 4.77.
- Samuel Goh - Registered 57 set assists, breaking the school single-game record and surpassing his season average of 17.36.

Up Next
Illinois Tech is set to face Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at the Keating Sports Center in a crucial regular season conference finale.