The Illinois Tech Men’s Volleyball team cruised to victory over Greenville on March 9, earning a 3-0 win, but fell short to Fontbonne the following day, 3-0.
How it Happened – Greenville
- Both teams started slowly, trading points to an early 3-3 score. Cinjun Coe then served the Hawks to a three point lead and Illinois Tech never looked back in the first set. Evan Robeck, Derek Bostick and Lukasz Kupiec all went on multiple-serve runs to send the Hawks up by 10. Illinois Tech closed out the first set 25-15.
- Illinois Tech struggled at the start of the second set, encountering an early deficit of five points. But after more strong serving by Coe and two key kills by Kupiec, the Hawks managed to climb back on top 12-9 before Greenville took a timeout. The Scarlet Hawks kept the pressure on the Panthers, never leading by less than three points down the stretch. Kupiec added three more kills before the end of the set as the Hawks once again finished out Greenville 25-18 in set number two.
- The Scarlet Hawks led from start to finish in set number three. Andriy Bench had a strong final set, both from behind the service line and totaling three kills. Ben Peschl added 13 assists in the third set to cap off his strong evening. Illinois Tech took the set and the match with a 25-17 victory.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Coe led the Hawks with 13 kills on a .333 attack percentage. He had three service aces and six digs as well.
- Kupiec had 12 kills on a team-high .524 attack percentage plus an ace and three digs.
- Bench totaled seven kills on a .455 attack percentage. He added an ace and three block assists.
- Peschl had a tremendous 35 assists and six digs.
Stats to Know
- Illinois Tech had twice as many kills (39-18).
- The Hawks held a team attack percentage of .354 to the Panthers’ .038.
- The Scarlet Hawks led in service aces 7-1.
- Illinois Tech also led in digs (38-24).
How it Happened – Fontbonne
- Fontbonne was strong out of the gate, going up 4-1 and then 12-6 over the Scarlet Hawks. Illinois Tech was shaky to begin, committing three service errors and the Griffins capitalized on those mistakes. The Hawks were unable to close the gap to fewer than five points during the middle stages of the set, as more mistakes plagued the team. The Griffin lead was too much for Illinois Tech to overcome, as the first set went to Fontbonne 25-17.
- Illinois Tech began the second set with much more energy. Bench notched two consecutive service aces to put the Hawks up 4-1 early. But Fontbonne’s Sebastian Roca rattled off four consecutive serves to give the Griffins the lead. Despite seven kills by the Scarlet Hawks in the middle of the set, Illinois Tech could not regain the lead and trailed 17-13. From there, Fontbonne used strong serves from Kyler van Rossum-O’Connell to close out the set and win 25-15.
- The teams were tied 4-4 at the beginning of the third set. Once again, van Rossum-O’Connell went on a five-serve streak and Fontbonne led 10-4. Coe helped get the Hawks to within three at 17-14 after a kill and three serves in a row. But errors spoiled any chance of a comeback down the stretch for the Scarlet Hawks, as the Griffins finished off the set and match with a 25-17 win.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Coe led the Hawks with nine kills, six digs, and one block assist.
- Kupiec had seven kills and Robeck added six of his own.
- Peschl added 16 assists.
Stats to Know
- Fontbonne had a .500 team attack percentage in the first set; the team had a .343 attack percentage for the whole match.
- The Griffins had 33 kills to Illinois Tech’s 25.
- Fontbonne also led in assists (27-23) and digs (27-26).
Up Next
- The Scarlet Hawks will face Olivet on Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the Keating Sports Center.