Trojans earn straight-set win over Judson
Greg Gorham
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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Picking up an important conference victory with the regular season winding down, the Trinity International Trojans defeated the Judson Eagles, 27-25, 25-15, 25-14, Tuesday night inside the Meyer Sports Center. The Trojans earned a bit of payback after the Eagles knocked off TIU in four sets back in September.
Trinity International (6-19, 4-7 CCAC) had one of its' best performances of the season to defeat Judson. The Trojans hit for a .306 percentage, posting a mark above .300 for the first time this season. TIU committed a season-low 10 attack errors on the night, limiting the Eagles' chances to put together a rally.
Junior Samantha Stoller led the team with 13 kills on the night, while Melodee Aguiree reached double figures with 10 kills.
The Eagles (6-23, 2-9 CCAC) had their best chance to take a set in the opening game. Judson started out on a 5-2 run to open the match, including the first three points of the night, on a pair of kills and a service ace. The Trojans used a 5-1 run of their own to come right back and tie the score at 7-7 with a JU attack error. Both sides traded the lead five times thoughout the set, but Judson had the lead down the stretch, building up a 20-15 lead after a TIU service error. From that point, Trinity rallied to tie the game at 23-23 with eight of the next 11 points. The Eagles used both timeouts during the run, but TIU earned the next score on another Eagle error to gain set point. It took three chances, but Stoller's kill at 26-25 finally gave the opener to Trinity International, who rallied late to take the match lead.
The second game was all TIU, as the Trojans scored the first three points and went on to lead wire-to-wire. Trinity finished on an 8-2 run to close out the set and force the Eagles to come back from a 2-0 deficit. Judson took a narrow 3-2 lead in the third game on a kill from Taylor Lesner, who led the Eagles with 12 on the night. TIU answered with seven of the next nine points, however, building a 9-5 advantage with a Julie Gregornik service ace. Trinity would lead comfortably the rest of the way en route to a 25-14 win.
The Trojan back line helped contain Judson to a .086 hitting performance, giving up just 29 kills throughout the match. Libero Gabrielle LaMonaca led the team with 17 digs, while Gregornik picked up 12.
Setter Allison Boggs earned her eighth double-double of the year, with 24 assists and 11 digs.
With the win, the Trojans move into a tie for fourth place in the CCAC North Division with Robert Morris, and more importantly, move into a tie for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming CCAC Tournament. Trinity International has six conference matches remaining in the regular season, including their next match; the Trojans will head into the city to take on Roosevelt on Tuesday, October 22. Tipoff against the Lakers is set for 7:00 p.m.
