Women’s Volleyball Drops Tight Matches Saturday

October 1, 2019Posted in: Athletics

The women’s volleyball trip in Indiana continued on Saturday, with the Scarlet Hawks, playing two non-conference matches at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Illinois Tech fell to the hosts 3-1 in the morning before being defeated by Trine University 3-1 in the afternoon. Illinois Tech’s record moved to 3-9 after the two contests.

Set Scores: RHIT Match

  • RHIT 3, Illinois Tech 1: 16-25, 14-25, 25-16, 24-26

How it Happened: RHIT Match

  • Rose-Hulman overpowered the Scarlet Hawks in the first two sets thanks to some impressive offense, hitting .343% and .241% over its first 50 points scored.
  • In the third set, the Scarlet Hawks figured out not just its defense, but its offense as well. With the team trailing 8-7, Illinois Tech went on a 9-0 run to take a 16-9 lead, the team’s largest of the match. April Williams highlighted the run with two kills, which propelled Illinois Tech to a set win while holding RHIT to a .000% throughout.
  • Set four saw the Hawks once again establish control, using balance on offense to go ahead 13-6. However, the Fightin’ Engineers made adjustments and went on a 13-3 run to jump ahead at 19-16. The lead would change several times down the stretch, with a Natalie Freund kill giving Illinois Tech its last advantage at 24-23. From then on, RHIT was able to score the final three points and end the match on a Kayla Harding kill.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: RHIT Match

  • Karen Marrufo-Zubaran asserted herself as Illinois Tech’s go-to attacker in this one, tallying 14 kills and an impressive .250 hit percentage to supplement nine digs.
  • Illinois Tech’s setters, Courtney Darling and Allison Wilkins, each had 19 assists.
  • Sinjin Acuna played a strong game in the back row with 20 digs, six assists, and three service aces.
  • Courtney Curcio also added double-digit digs (11).

Stats to Know: RHIT Match

  • The foes hit .235% and were led by Riley Woodruff (14 kills) and Elizabeth Canon (12 kills) on the attack.
  • Neither team was able to get its blocking in order much in this one, with each team tallying three blocks total.

Set Scores: Trine Match

  • Trine 3, Illinois Tech 1: 24-26, 25-20, 15-25, 20-25

How it Happened: Trine Match

  • It was a close first set, with Trine holding slim leads for most of the match. After Sara Hassell tied the match at 24-24 with a kill, the Thunder scored the set’s final two points.
  • The Scarlet Hawks responded to adversity in the second set. After trailing 18-14, Illinois Tech fought back with a 4-2 run to trim the lead to two. The small burst was just a prelude to a large run, as Illinois Tech ended the set with seven straight points to even things up.
  • Set three was all Trine, with the Thunder building an early double-digit lead (16-6) and never relinquishing control.
  • Momentum for Trine carried into set four, as the Thunder went ahead 6-1. While Illinois Tech would trim the lead to three, the Scarlet Hawks were unable to get any closer.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Trine Match

  • Marrufo-Zubaran led the team with 12 kills while also tallying 17 digs.
  • Hassell had an 11-kill match with a team-best .259 hit percentage.
  • Wilkins had 18 assists and four aces to lead the squad in both categories.
  • Acuna totaled 20 digs and three assists in the back row.

Stats to Know: Trine Match

  • Serving was on point for both teams in this one, as the squads combined for 25 aces (13 for Trine, 12 for Illinois Tech).
  • Madison Munger had 17 kills to lead all players. Sarah Toles hit .474% for Trine as well.

Up Next

  • The Scarlet Hawks will play a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) match for the second time this season, playing at Marian University at 7:00 p.m.
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