ONU SEES COMEBACK FALL SHORT FALLING IN FIVE SETS ON SATURDAY NIGHT

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's volleyball team came up short in a five-set thriller over Illinois Tech inside McHie Arena on Saturday night. 

The Scarlet Hawks controlled the opening set throughout including hitting .500.  The Tigers were up 5-3 at the beginning and then IIT went on a run and took a 10-6 lead.  After an error, IIT distanced themselves more from the Tigers and were up 17-7.  The Tigers never could find their footing in the first set falling 25-13.  Titus Thompson, Collier Kahaku Marquez, and Max Slaughter, notably, had kills for the Tigers. 

The Scarlet Hawks got off to similarly good start in the second set pulling ahead 5-2.  Jackson Harvey and Sterling Staranchuk provided the offense for the Tigers and closed the gap to five all. After the Tigers made the score 8-7, IIT marked five of the next six points and went up, 13-8.  The Tigers got as close as 17-14 but IIT kept serve as they led by seven at 21-14.  The Tigers finished the second set seeing offense from Slaughter but ultimately it was not enough as the Scarlet Hawks won the second set, 25-19. 

The Tigers got off to a hot start in the third set as they jumped out to an 8-4 lead.  James Ballance, Slaughter, and Thompson supplied the offense for the Tigers.  The Scarlet Hawks got within two at 11-9, but the Tigers saw a pair of kills from Slaughter and a pair of aces from Eric Atkinson to make the score 15-9.  Kills from Slaughter and Harvey down the stretch for the Tigers was just enough to take the third set, 25-19. 

The Tigers found themselves up 9-4 in the beginning of the fourth set after kills from Ballance, Harvey, and Staranchuk.  The Scarlet Hawks were trying to get back into the set but a kill by Garett Schad make the score 13-9.  IIT got within one at 14-13 until the Tigers went on a 6-1 run highlighted by a kill from Dalen Mathews.  The Tigers saw a late run by the Scarlet Hawks but ultimately forced a fifth set winning the set, 25-23. 

The Tigers looked to be in control of the fifth set and took a 10-4 lead.  Schad, Kahaku Marquez, Staranchuk, and Ballance all had kills for the Tigers.  The Scarlet Hawks then scored the next six points and deadlocked the set at 10. 

Unfortunately, the Tigers fell short and fell in the fifth set, 16-14, and dropped the match, 3-2. 

MATCH VITALS

Finals: First Set: IIT 25, ONU 13 | Second Set: IIT 25, ONU 19 | Third Set: ONU 25, IIT 19 | Fourth Set: ONU 25 IIT 23 | Fifth Set: IIT 16, ONU 14

Records: Illinois Tech: 1-1 | Olivet Nazarene: 0-9

Location: McHie Arena | Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais, Ill.

QUICK HITS

• Slaughter led the Tigers with 15 kills. 
• Atkinson led the Tigers with 13 digs.
• Hunter DeMello led the Tigers with 14 assists while Schad and Mathews followed with 12 and 11 assists, respectively. 
• Ballance followed Slaughter with eight kills and Harvey had seven. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers open CCAC play traveling to DeVos Gym to face the Trolls of Trinity Christian on Monday, January 31st.  The opening set is scheduled for 7 p.m.

--ONU—

*Contact: Sam Viebrock, Sports Information Director, stviebrock@olivet.edu