by Eric Willuweit

Angola, Ind. – In the midst of a five-match losing streak, the Illinois Tech men's volleyball team traveled to Trine University on Saturday for matches against Maranatha Baptist and the host Thunder. The Scarlet Hawks were able to end the streak, taking the first match against Maranatha Baptist 3-0 before falling to the Thunder 3-1 in a fiercely contested nightcap. The Scarlet Hawks moved to 4-10 overall on the season.

Jackson Van Engen paced the Hawks with 19 kills over both matches and notched 9 combined blocks, while Riley Laite set a personal best match record with 18 kills against Trine.

"We're cleaning up more and more components and phases of our game and it's starting to give them confidence, so overall it felt like we earned two wins today" said Head Coach Mike Oswald. "The difference in match two was all aggressive mistakes. We're continuing to add components from our practices and iron out the miscommunication (events)" said Oswald.

In their win against Maranatha Baptist, the Scarlet Hawks never trailed in any of the three sets.

How It Happened

Illinois Tech 3 – Maranatha Baptist 0

• After playing even with the Sabercats at 2-2, the Hawks used a 3-0 to take the lead for good at 5-2.  The Scarlet Hawks outscored the Sabercats 20-12 the rest of the way to take set one 25-14. Vincent Trosky had three services aces in the opening set.
• Illinois Tech never trailed and were never tied in set two. A 7-1 run to open the set gave the Scarlet Hawks command of the set. The Sabercats battled back to close within two points at 14-12, but they would be unable to close the gap. The Hawks closed out set two taking 11 of the final 18 points for a 25-19 set two victory.
• Set three played out similar to the opening set. The Scarlet Hawks and the Sabercats were even at 2-2 before a 6-0 run by the Hawks cemented control of the set, and ultimately the match. Maranatha Baptist would attempt to challenge, pulling within three points at 9-6, but a mini 4-0 counter by the Hawks wrestled control back in Illinois Tech's favor at 13-6. A 12-9 run to finish the set gave the Scarlet Hawks a 25-15 victory to claim the match. The Hawks added three more service aces in the final frame.

Trine 3 – Illinois Tech 1

• Trine jumped out early and often in set one, taking a nine-point lead at 13-4. The Scarlet Hawks best counter was to pull within five points at 18-13, but a 3-0 pushback by the Thunder extended their lead to eight points at 21-13. The teams traded points to close out the set, with Trine taking the 25-17 first-set victory.
• Early play in set two was even, with the teams tied at 4-4. A 6-0 run by the Scarlet Hawks gave them a 10-4 lead. A 6-4 counter by Trine pulled them within four points at 14-10, but the Thunder would get no closer. An 11-7 finish by the Scarlet Hawks gave them the set two victory 25-17.
• Set three again proved to be the swing set in a 1-1 match tie, as the Scarlet Hawks held leads early and late but were unable to close out the Thunder. The Hawks held leads at 4-2, 14-12, and as late as 17-16. Unfortunately, the Thunder used a 9-3 run to close out set three 25-20 and take control of the match 2-1.
• Set four was a back and forth affair, with 17 tie scores and seven lead changes. The Scarlet Hawks held a 13-12 lead midway through set four, lost the lead, and was unable to reclaim the lead until late in the set at 23-22.  However, Trine finished with a 3-0 run to claim set four 25-23 and take the match 3-1.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Saturday Combined

• Van Engen with 19 kills to go with a .586 attack percentage. He also recorded 3 solo blocks and 6 block assists for 9 combined blocks, while adding 3 service aces.
• Laite with 18 kills, 3 service aces, 19 receptions and 2 block assists, while only playing the Trine match.
• David Singer added 15 kills and a .400 attack percentage.
• Elijah Johnson tallied 56 assists over five sets, while leading the team with 18 digs. He also added 3 block assists.
• Trosky notched 4 service aces in the opening match against Maranatha Baptist.

Up Next

The Scarlet Hawks resume conference play when they travel to Rockford University on Tuesday night for a match against the Regents at 7:00 PM.