Trojans drop home opener to Roosevelt, 3-0
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Junior Samantha Stoller led the Trojans with eight kills, while the defense held the opposition to just a .067 hitting percentage, but it ultimately wasn't enough to knock off the Roosevelt Lakers, who knocked off TIU in straight sets, 25-15, 25-19, 25-20.
The Trojans (0-7, 0-3 CCAC) got off to a rough start in the match's opening set, as the Lakers put together rallies for five, seven, and four straight points throughout the game. After a kill from Felicia Hess (Racine, Wisc./Racine Lutheran HS), and a Laker attack error pulled the Trojans to within a point at 10-9, Roosevelt scored seven straight to take a big 17-9 edge, and went on to finish out the first game, 25-15.
TIU was able to take advantage of eight Laker errors in game two, while limiting their own mistakes, committing only two during the game. The Trojans took the first two points of the game off an RU error and a solo block from Victoria Boyd (Addison, Ill./Addison Trail HS). The Lakers (10-4, 2-1 CCAC) put together an 11-4 run after the slow start, taking an 11-6 advantage. TIU was able to side out the Lakers throughout the middle portion of the game but could never put a run together to cut the deficit, as the Lakers reached game point and knocked down the kill for the 25-19 win.
The Lakers then jumped out early in game three, taking a 8-3 lead before the Trojans were able to respond. Two kills from Stoller over a three-play period started to turn the tide, followed by a Julie Gregornik (Darien, Wisc./Faith Christian HS) service ace that was part of a three-point run, closing the gap to 9-7 in favor of the Lakers. After another short RU rally, the Trojans found themselves down 14-9 before making a big run; TIU went on an 8-2 run, taking a 17-16 lead, highlighted by a pair of kills from Melodee Aguirre (San Diego, Calif./Palomar CC). The Lakers called a timeout to try and slow the momentum, coming out with nine of the next 12 points to close out the match with a 25-20 third-set win.
Gabrielle LaMonaca (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood HS) led the Trojans' back line with 14 digs, while setter Allison Boggs (Batavia, Ill./Wheaton Academy) picked up her fourth double-double of the year, with 20 assists and 11 digs.
The Trojans are back at it this Saturday, when they continue their current three-match homestand. TIU plays host to Indiana-Northwest on September 21, with the match starting at 10 a.m.
