THOUSAND OAKS, Ca. - UC Santa Cruz men's volleyball secured a dominant 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-12) sweep over Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) on Saturday afternoon at Gilbert Arena, picking up their 10th straight victory. The Banana Slugs displayed their most efficient offensive performance of the season, hitting an incredible .448 as a team while limiting IIT to just a .114 hitting percentage. With the win, UCSC improves to 17-5 on the season.
 
UC Santa Cruz 3, Illinois Tech 0
The Slugs came out firing from the start, winning the first set 25-17 with a balanced attack that produced 15 kills on a .364 hitting percentage. Riley Norman led the way with 10 kills on .409 hitting, while Dylan Foreman added seven kills without committing an error. UCSC's defensive pressure held IIT to just .125 hitting in the opening frame.
The second set saw UCSC elevate their efficiency even further, hitting a blistering .621 with 19 kills and just one attack error. Noy Fisher and David Polster combined for 17 kills in the match, with Fisher finishing with a team-high .529 hitting percentage. UCSC pulled away late to take the set 25-18.
The Banana Slugs closed the match with a strong third set, recording 16 kills on a .382 hitting percentage to secure a 25-12 win. UCSC's defense continued to stifle IIT's offense, as the Scarlet Hawks hit just .031 in the final frame.
 
Key Performers
Riley Norman - 10 kills, .409 hitting percentage, five digs
Noy Fisher - 9 kills, .529 hitting percentage, three digs
Dylan Foreman - 7 kills, .500 hitting percentage, three digs
David Polster - 8 kills, .250 hitting percentage, eight digs, two aces
Kyle Ownbey - 5 kills, .500 hitting percentage, three blocks
Ryan Williams - 3 kills on three attempts for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage
Caio Valente - 26 assists, 2 aces, 1 dig
Andrew Pak - 17 assists, seven digs
 
Team Stats
UC Santa Cruz finished the match with 50 kills compared to Illinois Tech's 23. UCSC also outperformed IIT in assists (46 to 21), digs (38 to 34), and blocks (8 to 2). UCSC recorded six aces from the service line compared to just 1 for Illinois Tech.
 
Looking Ahead
UC Santa Cruz will now shift focus to their next matchup against North Central College on Wednesday, March 26th at 5:00 PM PST.