Illinois Tech Men’s Volleyball made its home opener one to remember, using an overwhelming offense to surge back after falling behind 2-0 to earn a 3-2 victory. The win moved Illinois Tech’s record to 2-4 on the season, while dropping Trinity Christian to 1-3.

Scores 

• Illinois Tech 3, Trinity 2 (18-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-22, 15-10)

How it Happened

• After both teams struggled on offense to start the set, Trinity Christian was able to overcome the sloppiness to pull away and win 25-18 with a .227 hitting percentage in the set.
• Despite being outhit .320% to .033% in the second set, the Scarlet Hawks managed to remain close. With Illinois Tech up 18-15, the Trolls embarked on a 8-0 run to flip the script on the contest.
• In set three, no team led by more than four (Illinois Tech 13-9) in the set’s entirety. Things were even tighter at the end of the set, with ties of 20-20, 21-21, 23-23, and 24-24. In a foreshadowing of set four’s events, Cinjun Coe gave Illinois Tech a 25-24 lead with a kill. He, along with Andriy Bench, followed that point up with a block assist for the 26th and decisive point.
• Coe absoultely took over in the fourth set, willing the Scarlet Hawks in another tight set. He was a huge reason for Illinois Tech’s .424 hitting percentage in the set, tallying 10 kills on 14 attempts for a .719 hit percentage individually. The 10 kills are the highest in a single-set by a player in the three-year history of the program.
• With all the momentum, the Scarlet Hawks jumped out to a 6-2 early advantage. Trinity managed to hang around, but an attack error doomed the Trolls late as Illinois Tech took the deciding set 15-10.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Coe used his 10-kill fourth set to aid in his 21-kill evening to lead all players. He finished with a .277 hit percentage while also tallying three aces.
• Lukasz Kupiec was also solid on the attack, tallying 14 kills.
• Easton Kays (seven kills, .455 hit percentage, three aces) and Bench (six kills, four total blocks) controlled the middle.
• Ben Peschl had a double-double of 34 assists and 10 digs.
• Libero Derek Bostick had 16 digs and three service aces.

Stats to Know

• The early theme of the match was sloppiness from the service line. The two teams combined for 36 total service errors, each committing 18 apiece.
• While the Scarlet Hawks had 54 kills compared to TC’s 46, the Trolls outhit Illinois Tech .256% to .169%.
• Digs were nearly even, with Illinois Tech narrowly outdoing the Trolls 49-46.

Up Next

• Illinois Tech will play at nearby Aurora University on Saturday, January 27 taking on Augustana University at 5 p.m. before facing the host Spartans at 7 p.m.