This WeekWith a bit of a lighter load this week, Trinity International volleyball resumes conference play with a single match over the next seven days. The Trojans will travel to Chicago on Tuesday night and face off against the St. Xavier Cougars in the second CCAC match of the season. The match will be streamed online, through the St. Xavier athletic site, GoSXUCougars.com.
Last Time OutThe Trojans picked up three more victories last week, including a straight-set win in their CCAC opener at Robert Morris, and a 2-2 performance at the Chicago State Cougar Invite. Sam Stoller led TIU with 12 kills over the Eagles last Tuesday as the Trojans won 25-19, 25-22, and 25-10. A dominant third-set saw TIU leap out to an early 12-2 lead and a .333 hitting percentage to take the road victory.
Over the weekend, the Trojans picked up a pair of wins in non-conference action, at the CSU Cougar Invite. The Trojans took a four-set decision over CCAC foe Purdue-North Central, then swept Indiana-Northwest on the second day of action. Freshman
Mickayla Staal led the team with 2.14 kills per set during the tourney, while
Lexie Voss averaged 1.93 kills per set and a team-high .379 hitting percentage.
In just the third week of the season, Trinity International has already surpassed last year's win total, and sit at 8-5; in 2013, the Trojans collected seven victories throughout the year.
Head Coach Dan PriestEntering his first season in 2014,
Daniel Priest was announced as the new head coach of the Trinity International volleyball program by the university in February. A 2010 graduate of TIU, Priest comes to Trinity International from Indiana Wesleyan, and after working as an assistant with the Ball State University men's volleyball program.
While at IWU, Priest was part of a coaching staff that helped lead the Wildcats to a combined 102-22 record, including three straight trips to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, three Crossroads League Tournament titles, and a pair of Crossroads League regular season championships. Priest worked with eight NAIA All-Americans during his three seasons at IWU.
The past two seasons, Priest has been recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). In 2012, He was named the AVCA-NAIA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Â Priest then earned the AVCA-NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2013.
CCAC Leaders • As a team, the Trojans are currently averaging 2.18 service aces per set, leading the CCAC. TIU has dealt out a combined 83 aces on the year, which also leads the conference.
 • Junior
Gabrielle LaMonaca is the CCAC leader in aces, averaging 0.74 per set.
 • LaMonaca is also sixth in the conference in digs, averaging 4.63 per set.
 • The Trojans rank third in the CCAC with 16.71 digs per set as a team, and are one of four teams in the league to have an average above 16.0 digs each set.
 •
Samantha Stoller is one of the top hitters in the league; the senior holds a .284 attack percentage, the fifth-best average in the CCAC. Her 2.92 kills-per-set average ranks fifth in the league as well.
 • Junior setter
Kali Cramer has the fourth-highest assists average in the league, at 8.68 helpers per set.
Opponent Preview
St. XavierThe Cougars are looking to rebound out of their current four-match losing streak, including a four-set loss at home to Roosevelt to open the conference season. Two of the four losses during the current run for SXU came against nationally-ranked programs, however, in No. 24 Davenport (Mich.) and No. 4 Madonna (Mich.) over last weekend.
St. Xavier returns 2013 All-CCAC hitter Marie Hackert, who is averaging 2.49 kills per set and a .248 hitting percentage this season. Junior Meghan Falsey currently leads the team with 2.70 kills per set, while Dominique Aramburu anchors the back line with 3.86 digs per set.
SXU has won the last six meetings over TIU, dating back to 2010.
Freshman ImpactA number of first-year players have made a big difference for Trinity International this season. Redshirt freshman
Marissa Boelter has appeared in all 48 sets so far in 2014, and ranks second on the team in digs (2.81 dps), and second in kills (1.83 kps).
Mickayla Staal and
Lexie Voss have also helped the Trojan attack, averaging 2.06 and 1.72 kills per set, respectively, for the second- and fourth-highest averages on the team. Both players have seen action in 47 of 48 sets this year.Â
NAIA RankingsThe Trojans have taken four spots among the NAIA's various statistical leaderboards:
 • As a team, Trinity International ranks 14th with 2.13 service aces per match.
 • The Trojans also rank 16th nationally with 102 total service aces.
 • Junior
Gabrielle LaMonaca is 5th in the nation with 31 total aces this season.
 • LaMonaca also ranks 12th in the NAIA, averaging 0.65 aces per set.
