PLYMOUTH, Wis. – The Lakeland University men's volleyball team rebounded from a sluggish start to be in every set the rest of the way but Illinois Institute of Technology ended the Muskies' season by winning in four sets Friday night at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Scarlet Hawks prevailed 25-13, 19-25, 25-19, 25-23 on Senior Night for a pair of Lakeland seniors. The Muskies concluded their season with a 6-12 overall record and finished 3-9 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.

Illinois Tech (10-14 overall, 5-6 NACC) came out strong in the first set before Lakeland settled in and was even with the guests for most of the final three sets. The Muskies made a big run late to win the second set only to see the Scarlet Hawks return the favor with a strong finish in the third set, before the teams went back-and-forth throughout the fourth set.

Neither squad led by more than three points in the final set that included 15 ties and five lead changes. Illinois Tech briefly broke free for a 15-12 lead after four straight points, but the Muskies rallied right back to go ahead 17-16 after three straight points capped by a kill by Matt Misheck (Sr.-Oak Forest, Ill.).

Misheck delivered a service ace that dropped after clipping the top of the net for a 21-19 lead, but the Scarlet Hawks came back to tie at 22-22 before Ben Busalacchi (So.-Muskego, Wis.) delivered a kill to put Lakeland two points from pushing the match to a fifth set. IIT's Chance Guillermo tied it back up though with a kill at 23-23, and an attack error put the guests at match point. The Scarlet Hawks would close it out with a kill by Jackson Van Engen coming while a net violation was whistled on the Muskies.

Illinois Tech dominated the first set, hitting .526 with ten kills without an error and never trailing in winning the opener, but Lakeland came back nicely after that. The Muskies never trailed in the second set and broke a 16-16 tie by scoring seven straight points to take control, and the teams also were tied at 16 in the third set before IIT scored six straight to pull ahead.

Busalacchi finished with a season-high 14 kills, heating up with six kills in the second set, and also added eight digs. Misheck added eight kills in his final match, while fellow senior Cameron Ekum (Sr.-Wales, Wis.) threatened a triple-double before finishing with seven kills, 25 assists and 12 digs.

Colin Kenney (So.-Shorewood, Wis.) also finished with five kills. Alex Burgos (Jr.-Salem, Wis.) and Levi Everts (Fr.-Hartford, Wis.) both posted five digs each and Tim Matijevic (So.-Palatine, Ill.) finished with three kills and three blocks.

Guillermo led Illinois Tech with nine kills and James Yaeger added eight kills and six blocks. Lucas Guanes also finished with 31 assists, 13 digs and five blocks.

Ekum finishes his career as Lakeland's all-time leader in service aces with 131 and is second all-time in assists (1,953), fifth in digs (547) and matches played (99) and ninth in kills (430). Misheck finishes his career second all-time in varsity history in aces (83), fourth in kills (682) and matches played (102), fifth in blocks (109) and eighth in digs (398).