JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois College esports team battled through its most competitive match of the season, edging the University of Arkansas 2-1 in the NECC Nationals Round of 16 on Monday.
IC opened strong with a 13-10 win on Bind, their map pick, before dropping a narrow 13-11 decision on Fracture. With the series tied, Illinois College responded under pressure, securing a 13-11 victory on Lotus to clinch the match and advance.
The series featured constant momentum swings, with both teams executing aggressive, fast-paced strategies that kept every round in doubt. Illinois College relied on balanced contributions across the roster to withstand Arkansas's pressure and close out the win.
A standout performance came in Game 1, where Thomas Peña dominated with 355 ACS and averaged over 235 damage per round, consistently creating multi-kill opportunities and setting the tone early in the series.
Box Score:
| Player |
Kills |
Deaths |
Assists |
KDA |
ACS |
First Bloods |
First Deaths |
Plants |
Defuses |
| Carter Naeve |
19 |
53 |
23 |
0.79 |
105 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
0 |
| Thomas Peña |
68 |
58 |
19 |
1.50 |
355 |
11 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
| Fray Moulton |
56 |
45 |
28 |
1.87 |
235 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| Dwight Duijneveld |
71 |
48 |
9 |
1.67 |
300 |
15 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
| Ekko Nguyen |
43 |
51 |
35 |
1.53 |
192 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
1 |
Up Next
The Valorant team will take on New England College at some point this weekend as they look at advance to the next round of the NECC National Tournament.
