VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The 2017 Illinois Tech women's volleyball season came to a close on Friday, reaching the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Quarterfinals. Tech split its two remaining pool play games before falling to #3 Florida College in the quarterfinal in the evening. The Scarlet Hawks ended the season with a 17-20 overall record.

Scores

• Tech 2, Carlow 1 (17-25, 25-16, 19-17)
• FNU 2, Tech 0 (17-25, 20-25)
• FC 3, Tech 0 (15-25, 13-25, 16-25)

How it Happened – Carlow Match

• The Scarlet Hawk offense started sluggish, hitting just .088% in the first set. This led to leads of 5-1, 13-6, and 19-10, and 23-12 for Carlow. Despite a 5-1 Scarlet Hawk run late, the Celtics closed out the first set with a 25-17 win.
• After Carlow jumped out to a 5-2 set two lead, the Scarlet Hawk offense came to life during a 4-0 run to take the lead. The run featured two Leah van der Sanden kills.
• The Tech offense continued to roll, never relinquishing the lead. Tech hit .289% for the set to tie things up 1-1.
• Set three proved to be even throughout, with no team leading by more than two until a Carlow kill made things 13-10. Tech, however, stormed back with four straight to force set point at 14-13.
• The Celtics would not go down without a fight, as the teams traded the next seven points. After a Carlow service error gave Tech set point once again at 18-17, the Hawks forced the Celtics into an attack error for the win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Carlow Match

• Tech's Taylor Burton and Alyssa Miner were impressive, each tallying nine kills. Miner hit .412%, while Burton came in at .300%. Burton also had two block assists.
• Natalie Freund led the team with 16 assists, while Courtney Darling recorded a double-double of 10 assists and 15 digs. Her 15 digs led the team.
• van der Sanden finished with six kills and a .263 hit percentage.

Stats to Know – Carlow Match

• The Scarlet Hawks responded after a slow start to hit .204% and record 34 kills.
• Carlow hit just .157%.
• Tech won the dig count 48-41.

How it Happened – Florida National Match

• Florida National stifled Tech offensively in the first set, holding the Hawks to a .000 hit percentage while hitting .258% themselves.
• Despite the struggles on the attack, the Scarlet Hawks kept things close early, trailing by two at 12-10 before a 4-0 run put FNU in control.
• In set two, things were back and forth once again early before the Conquistadors took a 6-2 run to go up 14-9.
• A quick 4-0 Scarlet Hawk run vaulted Tech back into the match. While Tech remained close the rest of the way, two FNU aces closed the set out with a 25-20 Tech defeat.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Florida National Match

• Burton, Miner, and Lydia Goebel all tallied five kills. Goebel and Burton each had a block assist, while Miner had a solo block to go with an assist. Burton (.235%) and Goebel (.273%) also hit above .200%.
• Freund led the team with 14 assists and added a block assist.
• Goebel and Courtney Curcio each had six digs apiece to lead the Hawks.

Stats to Know – Florida National Match

• FNU outhit the Scarlet Hawks .246% to .083%. Tech had 17 kills compared to FNU's 25.
• The Scarlet Hawks had six total blocks (two solo, four assisted), while FNU managed four (two solo, two assisted).
• Eight Conquistador service aces was key. Tech recorded just three.

How it Happened – Florida College Match

• Florida College dominated on both ends of the floor in set one, holding Tech below a .100 hit percentage while hitting .393% themselves.
• The strong play allowed the Falcons to build a 14-3 lead. After the 11-point lead, the Scarlet Hawks built momentum into the next set by playing the Falcons even the rest of the way.
• In set two, FC started on a 5-0 run. However, the Scarlet Hawks would score the next three thanks to Miner and Goebel kills.
• The Falcons would pull away late, closing the match on a 7-3 run to go up 2-0.
• Set three was Tech's strongest out of the gate. The Scarlet Hawks built an early 8-5 lead and rode it until a 12-9 advantage.
• Florida College would then embark on a 6-0 run to sieze control. While Tech would push back to within one on a van der Sanden kill, the Falcons proved to be too much late and held on for the win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts – Florida College Match

• Burton and Miner each had seven kills to lead Tech. Miner added four block assists.
• Justine Bracco combined a couple of times with Miner, ending up with three block assists.
• Reya Green had five digs in her final collegiate match.
• Freund led the team with 14 assists.
• Curcio led with 11 digs.

Stats to Know – Florida College Match

• The Falcons had 40 kills and hit .345%. Tech tallied 23 on a .093 hit percentage.
• Tech recorded eight digs (all assisted) compared to seven for FC (one solo, six assisted).
• The Falcons tallied 11 aces compared to two for Tech.