CHICAGO—The first Illinois Institute of Technology athletic event since March 10, 2020 occurred on Saturday as the Scarlet Hawks men's volleyball team faced No. 11 Benedictine (Ill.) at the Dan and Ada Rice Center in Lisle, Illinois. The Eagles defended their home court with a 3-0 decision over the Scarlet Hawks in what was the 2021 season opener for both teams.

The Scarlet Hawks kick-off the 2021 campaign with an 0-1, 0-1 NACC record while Benedictine (Ill.) exits Saturday with a 1-0, 1-0 NACC mark.

Benedictine (Ill.) 3, Scarlet Hawks 0

Fifth-year senior, and career blocks leader Evan Robeck continued to do what he does best as he opened the contest with back-to-back blocks en route to a 2-1 Scarlet Hawks lead in set one. Robeck added a kill that gave Illinois Tech a 5-4 edge. The Scarlet Hawks wouldn't lead again in the set as they combined for 11 errors to close things, which helped Benedictine achieve a 25-18 victory. 

The Eagles hit the ball on the screws in set two as they registered 18 kills and a .382 hitting mark in the frame. This made up for their 11 combined errors in a 25-21 win over the Scarlet Hawks in set two. 

The ball couldn't find the floor in set three as both teams combined for just 11 kills and 27 errors. The Scarlet Hawks led as late as 14-12 and trailed by one point at 18-17 before Benedictine iced the match with a 7-1 run en route to a 25-18 set victory, and 3-0 match win.

Easton Kays paced the Scarlet Hawks with seven kills and a .158 hitting mark. Evan Robeck chipped in a team-leading four blocks, while freshman Lucas Guanes registered 17 assists in his collegiate debut.

Martin Radomski paced Benedictine (Ill.) with a game-high 11 kills and a .364 hitting percentage.

The Scarlet Hawks will host No. 6 Dominican (Ill.) at the Keating Sports Center on Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.