Chicago, Ill. - On January 12, the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) released the men’s volleyball preseason poll for the 2023 season. Illinois Tech was picked to finish in 8th place with 151 points. Aurora University sits at the top of the rankings, receiving 9 first place votes and 310 points. 

The Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men’s volleyball team returns to the court on January 18th when they host the SUNY New Paltz St. Hawks in the Keating Sports Center. The non-conference season opener is set to start at 3:00 p.m.

Overall, the Hawks are scheduled to play 9 home games, including a tri-match on March 10-11, and 18 away games. On February 8, the Hawks begin Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play when they hit the road to take on MSOE. 

Head coach Mike Oswald had the following to say about the upcoming season: "We are very excited about the 2023 volleyball season! We have another very competitive calendar. This year we open at home on our new court against New Paltz! The NACC is strong again and we'll have a much more experienced team going into the season! We're really looking forward to showing our growth in our conference and region in 2023!"

The 2023 team welcomes three newcomers, and brings back 11 returners. Michal Markevych led the team in kills last season, picking up 203 for a 2.71 kills per set percentage. Markevych also led the Hawks with 22 service aces. Alec Donald was the dig leader last season, recording a total of 191 digs for 2.69 digs per set. 

Be sure to come out on Wednesday to cheer on your Scarlet Hawks in their first contest of 2023!