March 16, 2019 - Still in search of their first conference win, the Concordia-Chicago Cougars hosted the Scarlet Hawks of Illinois Tech in men's volleyball action this afternoon. The Cougars looked to be on their way to a possible win midway through the match, but IIT took control of the match late in set three and then most of set four to eventually win 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-21, 25-15).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Brian Perez and Nick Capers were the Cougars' co-leaders in kills today with nine each.
Matthew Geiser contributed 28 assists and three aces to the CUC effort.
The Scarlet Hawks hit a composite .260, including a resounding .448 in set four.  

Set one began with the visitors taking an early lead. Midway through the set, CUC began to gather a little momentum, with Matthew Geiser contributing a solo block. Later on, Geiser and Nick Capers aced the Scarlet Hawks with their serves and took an 18-16 lead. They extended the lead to 23-20, but once again, the inability to close out a set was costly. IIT survived a Cougars' chance at set point and came back to take the next two points and squeeze out the opening set, 26-24.

MVB: Strong hands from Ryan Felbinger to make the score 23-20, CUC. pic.twitter.com/9Wb08AeKSN

— CUC Athletics (@CUChicagoSports) March 16, 2019

In set two, the Cougars charged out to an early lead and were able to ride the wave longer. A 4-0 run with Virgilio Rodriguez serving gave CUC a 10-6 lead. The lead shot up to 18-12 on an ace by Capers, and a late kill by Ryan Felbinger put the Cougars on the verge of a win at 24-15.  The Scarlet Hawks tried to put the pressure on again as they scored three straight points, but an IIT error provided the final point, and CUC had tied the match at 1-1.

MVB: A kill from Brian Perez makes the score 10-5, CUC. pic.twitter.com/lXb3OA3TFY

— CUC Athletics (@CUChicagoSports) March 16, 2019

The pivotal third set saw both teams play it close, neither team gaining a lead of more than a few points. The Cougars led 17-15 when Lukasz Kupiec led the visitors back, IIT got the ball back on a service error, and Kupiec then served up three more points, two of them ending with his own kills. Kupiec added two more kills down the stretch, and IIT took set three 25-21 to gain the advantage in the match.

MVB: Another ACE from Matthew Geiser. It's a close game here in set three with a score of 16-14 in favor of CUC. pic.twitter.com/ysbd3vks4Z

— CUC Athletics (@CUChicagoSports) March 16, 2019

The Scarlet Hawks felt the energy at this point and controlled from the start of set four, never letting the Cougars get a lead. Consecutive kills by Brian Perez put CUC within 7-6, but that was as close as it would get, Later in the set, Kupiec served up another 4-0 run, and IIT would wrap up the match moments later with a 25-15 win.

Concordia-Chicago (4-15, 0-10 NACC) will continue this home stand next Friday, Match 22 when they host Marian University.