Trojans drop road match to Judson, 3-1
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
ELGIN, Ill. -- The Trinity International Trojans had their strongest offensive performance of the early season, but some late rallies came up just short as TIU fell in four games to the Judson Eagles in a CCAC match Thursday night.
The Trojans (0-6, 0-2 CCAC) recorded their highest hitting percentage of the season, going 46-for-152 on attacks, with 29 errors for a .112 average. Senior Victoria Boyd (Addison, Ill./Addison Trail HS) led the way, hitting .444 (9-1-18) for the match. Junior hitter Samantha Stoller (Cissna Park, Ill./Cissna Park HS) had a team-high 12 kills for the Trojans.
Trinity came out strong early in the opening set, building a 9-5 lead after Stoller and freshman Rachel Hutchinson (Atlanta, Ga.) teamed up for the block. The Eagles (4-10, 1-1 CCAC) answered in full force, scoring 14 straight points and claiming a 19-9 lead. TIU chipped away at the Judson lead in the late stages of the game, outscoring the Eagles 9-6 over the last 15 points, but ultimately ran out of time and dropped the first game 25-18.
After a slow start to the second game that saw the Trojans down by as much as six early on, TIU climbed back to take a 11-10 lead, as a 7-1 run put Trinity back in front. A pair of kills from Melodee Aguirre (San Diego, Calif./Palomar CC), as well as a Suzanne Knudtson (Elkhorn, Wisc./Cornerstone) service ace highlighted the rally. After the two sides traded serves, Julie Gregornik (Darien, Wisc./Faith Christian HS) tied the game at 15-15 with a kill. Judson then rallied to take three of the next four points, and didn't give up the lead the rest of the way, winning game two 25-21.
The third game started even through the first eight points, before the Eagles went on a quick 5-1 run, grabbing a 9-5 edge. The Trojans slowly worked their way back, as the kill from Kali Cramer (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian Academy) put TIU ahead 17-16. Neither team could pull away, trading side outs and keeping the score tied at 17-, 18-, and 19-all, until three straight TIU points, including a kill from Stoller, and a block from Stoller and Cramer, but the Trojans up late, 22-19. Stoller picked up another kill to give TIU game point at 24-22, as Trinity stayed alive with a win in game three on a Judson attack error, 25-22.
Judson climbed out to another early lead in game four, going up 8-4 before TIU used their first timeout to stop the momentum. Trinity was never able to get into an offensive rhythm, going down 20-11 without a rally of more than one point since the very start of the game. TIU finished the game on an 11-5 run, but ran out of time, dropping the fourth game 25-22.
Defensively, Gabrielle LaMonica (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood HS) led the match with 20 digs. Allison Boggs (Batavia, Ill./Wheaton Academy) picked up a match-high 31 assists.
After three weeks on the road, the Trojans will finally make their home debut next week, when they kick off a three-match homestand with Roosevelt on Tuesday, September 17. The CCAC showdown with the Lakers is set for a 7 p.m. start, and will be available via webcast at TIUtrojans.com.
