ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford University men's volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-22) at home on Friday evening to the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans. The Regents dug themselves into a deep hole to start each set, but Rockford was able to rally every time and make things interesting. Unfortunately, the Titans ultimately prevailed in all three sets and picked up their fourth win in as many chances against the Regents.
- The Titans opened the match on an 8-2 run to grab an early lead.Â
- Rockford responded right back with seven straight points and took its first lead of the match at 9-8. Josh Albers led the Regent charge with a pair of aces over that span.Â
- The two schools would then basically trade points until late in the set.Â
- With the score tied at 19-19, Illinois Wesleyan scored six of the next seven points to win the opening set 25-20.
- Illinois Wesleyan again jumped out to an 8-2 lead to start the second set.Â
- Rockford was able to get back within three points at 13-10 following a 3-0 spurt. Isaiah Dixon got things started with a kill, while Josh Albers added a service ace.Â
- With Rockford still trailing 17-14, the Titans closed the set on an 8-3 run to take a 2-0 advantage.Â
- The third set was an exact copy of the first two, with Illinois Wesleyan against taking a quick 8-2 lead.Â
- Rockford was able to pull back within three points on several occasions, with the first coming at 11-8. The Regents used a 4-1 run, capped off by a Matthew Seger kill, to trim the deficit down to three.Â
- The Titans would then methodically push their lead back up to as many as five at 23-18.Â
- Rockford did not go down without a fight however, scoring the next three points to trim the Titan advantage down to only two. Derek Jones, Joaquin Santillan and Connor McNear all had a kill over that span.Â
- Unfortunately, Illinois Wesleyan scored two of the next three points to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
