ATLANTA, Ga. – The Illinois Tech women's volleyball team earned an impressive first win of the season on Sunday morning, downing Columbia College (South Carolina) at the Oglethorpe Tournament. Tech downed the Koalas in straight sets.

Scores

• Tech 3, Columbia 0 (25-20, 25-22, 26-24)

How it Happened

• The Scarlet Hawks started the first set slow, trailing 10-5 and then 16-10 later on. However, Tech mounted a great really, starting with a 5-0 run. An attack error gave the Hawks the lead, which was never relinquished.
• In set two, the Scarlet Hawks responded to a 5-0 opening run by the Koalas with a 10-0 run of their own, which included three straight kills from Sara Hassell. Illinois Tech let comfortably the rest of the way to go up 2-0.
• The third set was back-and-forth until a 3-0 run sparked by a Katie McCutcheon kill put Tech up 8-5. Tech would lead by as many as six, but Columbia stormed back late, taking a 24-22 lead after a 7-1 run. However, the Scarlet Hawks scored the final four points of the match, icing the win on a Natalie Freund kill.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Freund had a double-double of 21 assists and 10 digs.
• Alyssa Miner had 11 kills and two block assists.
• Hassell (eight kills, nine digs), and Leah van der Sanden (eight kills, two block assists) continued a strong opening weekend.
• Courtney Curcio led the team with 17 digs.

Stats to Know

• Aces were hard to come by, as Columbia outdid Tech just 3-2.
• Tech hit .143% compared to just .047% for Columbia. Tech also recorded 44 kills compared to just 27 for the Koalas.
• Tech outdug Columbia 72-69.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks will play in a tri-match at North Park University on Friday. Tech will oppose Marian University (Wis.) at 5:00 p.m. before taking on North Park at 7:00 p.m.