Men’s Volleyball Falls to Olivet, RMU on Senior Day

March 6, 2017Posted in: Athletics

The Illinois Tech Men’s Volleyball team took on Olivet College and Robert Morris-Chicago on Senior Day (March 3) in the Keating Sports Center. Illinois Tech dropped the Olivet match 3-1 before falling to Robert Morris in straight sets.

Match Scores

  • Olivet 3, Illinois Tech 1 (19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 19-25) 
  • Robert Morris 3, Illinois Tech 0 (22-25, 23-25, 19-25)

How it Happened – Olivet Match

  • Set one belonged to the Comets, but the Scarlet Hawks were a tough out. Olivet led 5-3 early, but Illinois Tech fought to tie the score seven different times before taking a 15-14 lead on a Michael Drews kill. The Comets used a 9-2 run after trailing 17-16 to win the set.
  • The Scarlet Hawks and Comets went back-and-forth in set two as well until a 6-1 Olivet run flipped the script and gave the Michigan school a 12-8 lead. Illinois Tech battled and cut the lead down to one (21-20) on another Drews kill, but the Comets held off the Hawks.
  • Illinois Tech allowed Olivet to jump out to a 14-10 lead in the third set, but a 10-2 Scarlet Hawk run vaulted the hosts to a 22-19 advantage. Illinois Tech hit. 263% in the set while Olivet hit -.054%. Evan Robeck scored the 25th and final point of set three on a kill as Tech made it a 2-1 match.
  • Set four was tightly contested once again. With the Comets up one at 14-13, Olivet managed to go on a 4-0 run to take its largest lead of the set at five. Illinois Tech never fully recovered as the Comets took the match.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Olivet Match

  • Lukasz Kupiec was a force and had the best statistical match of his Scarlet Hawk career. The junior had 24 kills and 24 assists to go along with a .513 hitting percentage. Both attack numbers were season-highs.
  • David Allen and Drews each tallied nine kills. Allen led the Scarlet Hawks with 17 digs, while Drews tallied 14 of his own.
  • Kyle Bumpass added three block assists.

Stats to Know – Olivet Match

  • Illinois Tech hit .176% while Olivet hit .225%.
  • Despite the loss, the Scarlet Hawks had 59 kills compared to 45 for the Comets.
  • Service errors were a key factor, as Olivet committed just six compared to 12 for the Scarlet Hawks.

How it Happened – Robert Morris Match

  • The Scarlet Hawks made things tough on the Eagles in the first set. Illinois Tech led as late as 11-10 until a 4-1 run put RMU up three. The Eagles would allow the Hawks to stay in it and pull to within one on several occasions, but the Scarlet Hawks couldn’t slow down a tough Eagles offense late.
  • In the second set, the Scarlet Hawks started off strong and took a 5-2 lead. But the Eagles would climb back into the set, finally breaking through to take a 23-22 lead. Illinois Tech tied the match back up on a Drews kill, but the Eagles scored the final two points of the set.
  • The third set was tight in the early portion. Robert Morris took the first distinct advantage with a 5-1 run to go up 14-11. Illinois Tech would never be able to gain significant traction as the Eagles went on to win the match.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Robert Morris Match

  • Drews once again tallied nine kills.
  • Andrew Woltman led the squad with 15 assists and 14 digs.
  • Yuriy Shepta led the way in blocks with 14.

Stats to Know – Robert Morris Match

  • Aces were hard to come by, as the Scarlet Hawks led 2-1 in that category.
  • Illinois Tech had an impressive 13 total blocks (one solo, 12 assisted) compared to RMU’s 11 (three solo, eight assisted).
  • RMU hit .189% compared to Illinois Tech’s .059%. Each team had 33 total kills.

Up Next

  • The Scarlet Hawks will head to the eastern seaboard next weekend for three matches. The first match will take place on Friday, March 10 at 6 p.m. CT, as the Scarlet Hawks will travel to Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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