• After hanging with the Cougars early in the first set, the visitors managed to pull away from Illinois Tech thanks to two key aces and some attack errors on Illinois Tech’s side. A .435% hit percentage for St. X compared to Illinois Tech’s .036% also did the Hawks in.
• The Cougars once again used a strong attack to take the second set, but things changed in set three. Behind improved play at the net, the Scarlet Hawks won 25-23 to force a fourth. An impressive double block by Andriy Bench and Lukasz Kupiec halted a Cougar rally to ice the set.
• In the fourth and final set, the Cougars used a late run to pull ahead. With the score tied at 20-20, SXU scored four straight points thanks to two of Jake Olsen’s match-high 19 kills and two Illinois Tech attack errors. Cinjun Coe recorded a kill to keep the match alive, but Olsen smashed another kill to give SXU the win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Coe led the team with 15 kills.
• Kupiec tallied 14 kills and a team-high 12 digs.
• Daniel Throop had 20 assists to lead the Scarlet Hawks.

Stats to Know

• Blocks were a big emphasis in tonight’s match, with the Cougars (two solo, 14 assisted) outdoing the Hawks (one solo, two assisted).
• The Cougars (44 kills, .228%) bested the Scarlet Hawks (37 kills, .067%) in both of the main attacking categories.
• SXU out dug Illinois Tech 63-47.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks will host Marian University (Wisconsin) on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. in the Keating Sports Center. Live audio, video, and statistics will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.