CHICAGO, Ill.. - Lawrence Tech men's volleyball dropped a straight-sets decision to host Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Friday night, falling 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-17) at the Shannon Center in Chicago.

The Blue Devils stayed within striking distance in the opener before the Cougars' offense and serving pressure gradually took control of the match. Saint Xavier finished with 39 kills and a .338 attack percentage, adding eight service aces, while Lawrence Tech totaled 23 kills and hit .143. The hosts also held a 56-31.5 edge in total points.

Lawrence Tech's best chance came in the first set, where the Blue Devils traded points deep into the frame. After Saint Xavier's Caydann Cox delivered a service ace to knot the score at 20-20, the teams continued to battle side-by-side. The Blue Devils earned a late sideout to make it 23-23, but a kill from Owen Krause pushed Saint Xavier back in front, and a Lawrence Tech attack error on the next rally—blocked by setter Cameron Daniels and middle Tysen Myers—closed out the set 25-23 in favor of the Cougars.

Saint Xavier carried that momentum into the second set, using an early run to create separation. A Cox kill off a feed from Daniels helped the Cougars build a 9-6 cushion before a Henry Truitt service ace extended the margin to 11-6. Despite stretches of solid sideout volleyball from the Blue Devils, Saint Xavier's balanced attack and eight total aces kept pressure on the Lawrence Tech serve receive. The Cougars secured the frame 25-15 on a kill from Nikolay Kotevski to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The third set followed a similar script, with Lawrence Tech competing early before Saint Xavier pieced together another decisive run. Kotevski posted consecutive kills to help the Cougars move in front 10-5, and the Blue Devils were unable to fully close the gap from there. Lawrence Tech continued to battle at the net—finishing with 6.5 total blocks to Saint Xavier's 9.0—but a Hayden Grange service ace ended the set 25-17 and sealed the sweep for the home side.

Individually, Gustavo Machado led Lawrence Tech with 5 kills, 3 total blocks and a service ace, finishing with 8.5 points. Mario Cid added 5 kills, 4 digs, a block and 2 assists for 6.0 points, helping pace the Blue Devils' attack. As a team, Lawrence Tech recorded 22 assists, 21 digs and two service aces while putting up five solo blocks and three block assists at the net.

Saint Xavier was led by Cox, who recorded a match-high 14 kills to go with one ace, three blocks and 16.5 points. Opposite/outside hitter Matt Pennala added 12 kills, eight digs and 14.0 points, while Daniels steered the offense with 34 assists, one ace and three blocks. The result capped a strong hitting performance for the Cougars and provided an early-season test for the Blue Devils as the team continues through its opening road swing.