CHICAGO, Ill. – The Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks defeated the visiting Alma Scots in a four-set match on Saturday.

How It Happened

• After a sloppy start, Tech managed to tie the first set at eight.  The Scots were then able to capitalize on some mistakes and build a nine point lead, 21-12.  However, the Scarlet Hawks rallied behind freshman Sara Hassell, who led the strong comeback with five kills and 12 straight serves en route to a 25-21 victory in the first set.
• Illinois Tech used the momentum from the comeback in the initial set to build an early four point lead in the early stages of set two.  But the Scots fought back to tie the set at 13 and kept the Scarlet Hawks close until the end of the set.  Alma's net presence of Kara Muxlow, Naomi Mason and Georgia Miller ultimately proved too much to handle for Tech as the Scots took the second set 25-23.
• In the third set, Illinois Tech rebounded behind the efforts of Taylor Burton, Alyssa Miner and, once again, Sara Hassel.  Despite five lead changes throughout, Tech used the combined 11 kills from Burton, Miner and Hassel to build a big enough lead to outlast Alma 25-22 in another close set.
• The Scarlet Hawks struggled initially in the early stages of the fourth set, committing some of the same mistakes that plagued them in the first two sets.  Mason led Alma with four kills and Miller added two more as the momentum swayed between the two sides. But Tech's Courtney Curcio provided the defense (eight digs) and key serves to get the Scarlet Hawks the lead for good, as the home team took the set and the match 25-17.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Taylor Burton had 14 kills with a .310 hitting percentage and two block assists
• Hassell had 13 kills, four serve aces, 14 digs and four block assists
• Alyssa Miner contributed eight kills and eight block assists
• Curcio added 28 digs and Natalie Freund had 15

Stats to Know

• Tech led in blocks (11.5 to 7)
• Illinois Tech held Alma to a 0.46 hit percentage
• The Scarlet Hawks led in kills 46-38
• Illinois Tech's record is now 9-13

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks will host Dominican at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Live audio, video, and stats will be available. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.