DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Illinois Tech men's volleyball team opened its season on Sunday, playing two matches at Loras College. To start the 2019 season, the Scarlet Hawks were defeated by Mount Mercy University and Loras in straight sets.

Set Scores – Mount Mercy Match

• MMU 3, Tech 0 (21-25, 16-25, 17-25)

How it Happened

• The first set was tight early before the Mustangs jumped out to an 11-5 lead. The Scarlet Hawks would fight back to get to within one, but were unable to find that decisive final point to even things up.
• While set two started strong for the Scarlet Hawks, a 10-1 run was the deciding factor for the Mustangs.
• In set three, Mount Mercy held a slim advantage for most of the early portion of the action. MMU's lead gradually built over time en route to the set victory.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Easton Kays led Tech with six kills. He also had two block assists.
• Michael Ganczar had 19 assists in his first collegiate match. He also had three total blocks to lead the team (two assisted, one solo.
• Derek Bostick had seven digs to lead the team.

Set Scores – Loras Match

• Loras 3, Tech 0 (19-25, 15-25, 21-25)

How it Happened

• The Duhawks jumped out to a 6-3 lead over Tech before the Scarlet Hawks came back to take a two-point lead at 10-8. The lead changed hands a few times until an 8-0 Loras run put away the set.
• Set two was back-and-forth early on, but the hosts would jump ahead to take a commanding 13-6 advantage. The Scarlet Hawks were unable to gain much traction to cut into the deficit the rest of the way.
• Illinois Tech would build momentum early in set three, taking an 8-5 lead before the Duhawks rallied to regain control. The Hawks regained its stride mid-set, using a 9-2 run to jump back ahead at 18-17. However, Loras had one more late rally in them to hold off the pesky Scarlet Hawks.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Kays and Andriy Bench each had seven kills. Bench also had a .294 hit percentage and two block assists.
• Ganczar tallied 20 assists.
• Bostick once again totaled seven digs.

Up Next

• Illinois Tech will travel to California for several matches on Friday and Saturday at Cal Lutheran.