CHICAGO – No. 9 Cal Lutheran men's volleyball turned in a dominant performance Friday, sweeping Illinois Tech 25-17, 25-11, 25-16 at the Keating Sports Center to improve to 8-1 on the season.

The Kingsmen controlled the match from start to finish, hitting .419 as a team while holding the Scarlet Hawks to just .059. Cal Lu also dictated play at the net, outblocking Illinois Tech 9-1 in the victory.

Cal Lutheran set the tone early in the opening frame, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and steadily building separation behind efficient offense and Illinois Tech service errors. Brendan Hom powered the attack as the Kingsmen closed the set on a 7-3 run to secure a 25-17 win.

The second set was all Purple & Gold. CLU used a decisive nine-point run midway through the frame to break the set open, fueled by the efforts of Hom, Gavin Galanski, and Connor Crawford. Illinois Tech struggled to find rhythm offensively, committing 10 attacking errors as the Kingsmen rolled to a 25-11 victory.

Any momentum hopes for the Scarlet Hawks were quickly erased in the third. Cal Lutheran continued to apply pressure, opening a 14-8 lead midway through the set before closing out the sweep with a 25-16 finish.

Hom led all players with 11 kills while hitting .474, and Crawford followed with 10 kills on a .600 clip. Tyler Linville added seven kills, while Matthew Wilcox went errorless, finishing with five kills on seven attempts (.714). Galanski orchestrated the offense with a match- and season-high 29 assists.

At the net, Wilcox and Crawford each recorded four total blocks while Hom added three, and Braden Gonzales anchored the back row with a team-high 11 digs.

The Kingsmen remain in Chicago on Saturday for a doubleheader, taking on Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 12:30 p.m. PT (2:30 p.m. CT) before closing the day against host North Central at 3 p.m. PT (5 p.m. CT).