CHICAGO, Ill. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College pushed Illinois Tech to the brink on Saturday, but fell 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 24-26, 20-25, 15-11) in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference match at Keating Sports Center.
The Warriors finished with a .183 hitting percentage (47 kills, 17 errors, 164 attempts), while the Scarlet Hawks hit .193 (61-27-176) in the match.
IIT used a late surge in the opening set to take control. With the score tied 16-16, Illinois Tech pieced together a 3-0 run and went on to secure the 25-20 win. WLC battled through nine ties in the frame but was limited to a -.032 hitting percentage, its lowest of the match.
The Scarlet Hawks carried that momentum into the second set. After Wisconsin Lutheran tied the score at 13-13, IIT responded with a decisive 5-0 run to build an 18-13 cushion. The Warriors trimmed the deficit to three, but Illinois Tech finished off the 25-19 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
WLC answered in the third set, which featured 11 ties and six lead changes as neither team led by more than four points. Trailing 23-22 late, Wisconsin Lutheran regained the 24-23 edge. After the Scarlet Hawks fought off one set point to tie it at 24-24, sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) delivered consecutive kills to close out a 26-24 win and extend the match.
The Warriors carried that energy into the fourth set, hitting a match-best .455. A 5-0 run late in the frame turned a 19-18 deficit into a 23-19 advantage and Wisconsin Lutheran forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-20 victory.
IIT never trailed in the fifth decisive set. Illinois Tech used a 4-1 run to break away from a 9-8 lead and went onto claim a 15-11 win in the fifth set.
Freshman
Adonis Hilton (Rockford, Ill.) led the Warriors with 14 kills, while Pichler finished with 13. Freshman
Adam Bedalov (Waukesha, Wis.) dished out a team-high 20 assists. Freshman
Ryder Vogt (Manitowoc, Wis.) paced the defense with 11 digs, and senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.) led the net effort with two solo and seven assisted blocks as WLC totaled 13.0 team blocks.
Maximo Dowling powered the Scarlet Hawks (3-9, 2-1 NACC) with a match-high 23 kills. Samuel Goh recorded 45 assists. Paul Henderson added seven service aces and 15 digs, both match highs.
Wisconsin Lutheran (7-5, 2-1 NACC) returns to action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the road against Edgewood (4-9, 1-3 NACC). Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
