Men’s Volleyball Drops Two at Trinity Christian

February 6, 2017Posted in: Athletics

The Illinois Tech Men’s Volleyball team traveled to Trinity Christian College on February 4 for a tri-match against host TCC and Mount Mercy University. Illinois Tech fell to the hosts in five sets before dropping the MMU match in straight sets.

Scores – Trinity Christian Match

  • TCC 3, Illinois Tech 2 (23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25, 9-15).

How it Happened – Trinity Christian Match

  • Illinois Tech led for a large portion of the first set, but a late 9-5 run by the Trolls gave the hosts the victory. Trinity built on its momentum, leading for almost the entire second set to win 25-21.
  • The tide began to turn in set three. Illinois Tech went on a 10-0 early run highlighted by three kills from Michael Drews. While the Trolls threatened and even took a late 21-20 lead, Illinois Tech held strong to win 25-23.
  • Set four was back-and-forth once again. After TCC led 8-3, Illinois Tech fought back to take a 16-15 advantage. The teams traded several leads down the stretch, but two straight attack errors from the Trolls gave Illinois Tech the win.
  • TCC scored the first four points of set five, but the Hawks stormed back to take a 6-5 lead. The Trolls, however, regrouped to close the match out.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Trinity Christian Match

  • Drews (13), Lukasz Kupiec (12), Evan Robeck (11) and Yuriy Shepta (11) all recorded double-digit kills. Robeck (.350%) and Shepta (.222%) were over a .200 hitting percentage.
  • Kupiec also tallied 37 assists for his second straight double-double.
  • Derek Bostick (21) and Andrew Woltman (10) were in double-digits for digs. Woltman’s 12 assists also gave him a double-double.

Stats to Know – Trinity Christian Match

  • Illinois Tech had 59 kills compared to TCC’s 56.
  • TCC doubled Illinois Tech on service aces (6-3).
  • Illinois Tech won the digs battle 59-50.

Scores – Mount Mercy Match

  • MMU 3, Illinois Tech 0 (22-25, 23-25, 21-25).

How it Happened – Mount Mercy Match

  • Illinois Tech built a 13-8 lead in the first set, but the Mustangs came on strong. MMU took the lead for good at 18-17 and won 25-22.
  • In set two, Illinois Tech quickly trimmed a 6-2 Mustang advantage to tie the score at 7-7. However, MMU followed up with a 4-0 run and held the lead for the rest of the set.
  • Set three featured a mid-set 5-0 run by the Mustangs to give MMU a 12-7 lead. Illinois Tech fought back, as a stretch of six kills in seven volleys tied the score at 16-16. MMU responded with a 5-0 run and closed the match out shortly after.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Mount Mercy Match

  • Kupiec recorded 12 kills and 19 assists for his third straight double-double. He also had a .391 hitting percentage.
  • Shepta had nine kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
  • Woltman added 14 assists.

Stats to Know – Mount Mercy Match

  • Illinois Tech hit. 250% compared to MMU’s .268%.
  • The Scarlet Hawks outdug the Mustangs 34-33.
  • MMU had 39 assists compared to 36 for the Hawks.

Up Next

  • Illinois Tech hosts North Central College on Tuesday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Keating Sports Center. Live audio, video, and stats will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.
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