Thanks to IIT Sports Info for the pictures

CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's volleyball team won both of their games at Illinois Tech's Tri-Match, beating the hosting Hawks 3-1 and Olivet-Nazarene 3-0. 

Game 1 saw the Vikings get off to a slow start, dropping their lone set of the day by a score of 18-25 against Illinois-Tech. The Vikings rebounded quickly in the 2^nd set though, getting out to an early 7-0 lead after a run of service by Emmanuel Eugene that included an ace. They maintained the 7 point lead the rest of the way, taking set 2 by a score of 25-18. The third and fourth sets were the closest of the match—both being decided by 2 points—and set 3 featured a monumental Vikings comeback while down 19-24. Emmanuel Eugene again had the ball in his hands but this time had no room for error. He came through for the Vikings with another service run while Erik Bullard and Vicente Cabrera picked up 2 kills each to secure a 25-24 Vikings lead. IIT equalized the score at 25 but quickly ceded service back to North Park who closed out the game on another Erik Bullard kill. The 4^th set was equally close in score but not quite as climactic. Both sides went back and forth to start the set up to an even score of 6-6. North Park was able to establish a slight 8-6 edge over the Hawks, and they would hold the lead for the remainder of the game as they closed out the match. 

Game 2 was a clean 3-0 sweep of Olivet-Nazarene. The Vikings got off to a quick 4-0 start in the first set and refused to surrender the lead from thereon out, winning by a score of 25-17 for their largest victory of the day. Set 2 was quite the opposite, with North Park needing 28 points to secure victory. The Vikings got out to an early 6-2 lead, and they consistently held that margin through the middle of the game. It wasn't until the latter half of the set that the Tigers finally got even, tying up the score at 15-15 before establishing a lead with their 21^st point. North Park stayed the course though and kept the game within 2 points through regulation. It was Erik Bullard who again came through for the Vikings with 2 kills to secure a 28-26 win. After the back-and-forth battle that was set 2, North Park took care of business in the 3^rd set from the get-go. They established a 5-point lead early and would go on to win the set by the same 5-point margin, finishing off the sweep and walking out of Illinois-Tech with 2 wins under their belt. 

What's Next?

The Vikings improved to 5-1 with the two wins today. Next up for the team is a February 9^th matchup at 3:00 P.M. against St. Norbert college in which the Vikings will travel to De Pere, Wisconsin to take on the Green Knights.