SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The Illinois Tech men's volleyball team opened the 2018 season on Friday evening at UC Santa Cruz's Slug Slam. Taking on a tough Stevenson University team, the Scarlet Hawks were defeated in straight sets.

Scores

• Stevenson 3, Tech 0 (25-23, 25-22, 15-25)

How it Happened

• Stevenson jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, but the young and resilient Scarlet Hawks came right back and quickly cut the lead to three at 11-8. Playing the Mustangs tough, the Hawks used a .333 hit percentage in the set to pull to within one at 24-23. However, a Mustangs kill ended the set.
• In set two, things were even early on until the Scarlet Hawks took a substantial lead and 12-6. Tech was able to hold the lead for a while, but the Mustangs used a late 5-1 run to take a 21-20 lead. Stevenson did not relinquish the advantage and went up 2-0.
• Stevenson continued its momentum in the third set, scoring the first three points and never looking back en route to a 25-15 win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Cinjun Coe led the Scarlet Hawks in kills (nine) and block assists (two) in his first collegiate match.
• Daniel Throop, also playing his first collegiate match, tallied 20 assists.
• Evan Robeck had a .375 hit percentage.
• Easton Kays tallied three service aces to lead the team.

Stats to Know

• The Scarlet Hawks were outhit .237% to .160%.
• Stevenson had nine aces compared to Tech's five.
• Blocks were even at five.

Up Next

• Tech continues its California schedule with two more matches on Saturday. The Scarlet Hawks will take on host UC Santa Cruz at 3:00 p.m. central (1:00 p.m. pacific) before facing Cal Lutheran at 6:00 p.m. central (3:00 p.m. pacific).