Marian University men’s volleyball (23-7, 9-3 NACC) closed out the regular season defeating Illinois Tech 25-23, 25-20, and 25-17.
The Sabres fell behind early allowing Illinois Tech to take a 17-12 lead and force a Marian timeout. The break proved to be crucial as Marian went on to score six straight points and take an 18-17 advantage. After Marian scored three of the next five points, the two squads traded points the rest of the way with Marian holding on for the set one victory. Marian came out firing to open the second set scoring the first seven points of the set. The Scarlet Hawks managed to cut their deficit down to four but a quick four unanswered from the Sabres saw Marian build a 13-5 advantage. IIT managed to trim their deficit down to as little as four but Marian was able to hold off any late rally.
Marian once again was able to get out to a hot start to open the third set jumping out to a 15-9 lead after scoring five unanswered points. The Scarlet Hawks continued to battle trimming the Marian lead down to 17-14, but the Sabres had an answer. Marian was able to go on an 8-3 run to close out the match and secure a sweep. The Sabres would hit .520 in the final set with 15 kills to only two errors.
Sophomore Derek Wills hit .367 in the win with a team-high 12 kills, while junior Cam Muller added nine kills. The back row was paced by senior Zach Zelenik who had nine digs to go with 32 assists and a service ace.
Marian hosts MSOE Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NACC Tournament.
