Trojans fall in four sets to Robert Morris to open CCAC slate
Greg Gorham
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ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- The Trinity International Trojans helped open up Robert Morris' brand new athletic facility, but the TIU volleyball squad was unable to ruin the Eagles celebration, as the Trojans fell 22-25, 16-25, 25-21, 20-25, Tuesday night in the CCAC opener.
Junior hitter Samantha Stoller (Cissna Park, Ill./Cissna Park HS) led TIU with 10 kills as the only Trojan in double figures, hitting .179 for the night. Senior libero Brittany Najera (San Fernando, Calif./First Lutheran HS) anchored the back line with a match-high 16 digs.
The Trojans held a lead in each of the four games against the Eagles, opening the first game with a 12-8 lead. Robert Morris answered with six straight points to claim the lead, 14-12. TIU kept things close, however, as a block from Kali Cramer (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian Academy) and Victoria Boyd (Addison, Ill./Addison Trail HS) pulled Trinity to within one at 18-17. The Eagles were able to close out down the stretch, outscoring TIU 7-5 over the closing points to take game one.
The Eagles ran away with game number two, using nine straight points to pull away, taking a 15-14 edge into game point at 24-14.
In game number three, TIU took advantage of a five-point run early, and built a commanding 9-3 edge, highlighted by a solo block from Boyd that kick-started the run. Robert Morris slowly climbed back into the game, eventually tying the score at 14-14. A kill from Boyd, followed by a service ace from Najera put the Trojans back on top, 16-14. Boyd stepped up again in the closing moments of the match, with back to back kills that turned a narrow 23-21 Trojan lead into a 25-21 third-set victory.
Robert Morris answered again in set number four, jumping out to a 19-11 lead. TIU climbed back with five straight points to close to within three, at 19-16, but the Eagles killed the momentum after calling timeout, and coming out with a quick 3-1 run to increase their lead, 22-17.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 0-5 on the year, and open their CCAC campaign 0-1. TIU will be back in action this Thursday, September 12, when they continue the road trip and take on Judson. The match is set for a 7 p.m. start.
