vs.

This Week   
 • The Trojans make their home debut this week, with a pair of CCAC contests, first against St. Ambrose on Tuesday night, followed by a Thursday night matchup with St. Xavier.
 • Tuesdayís home opener is TIU Volleyball Blackout Night, and Trojan fans are encourage to come out to Van Dixhorn Arena wearing black.
 • Both matches will have live stats available at TIUTrojans.com, and Thursdayís match with the Cougars will be streamed live online.

Last Time Out    
 • Trinity suffered a straight-set loss to the Cardinal Stritch Wolves last Tuesday night, falling on the road 25-16, 25-17, 25-22.
 • Lexie Voss and Mickayla Staal each finished with a team-high eight kills, while three Trojans picked up double-digit digs; Becca Kowalczuk (12), Marissa Boelter, and Gabby Miller (10 each).
 • In the third set of the night, the Trojans held a late lead at 20-14, but Stritch responded with a 7-1 run to tie the score, then scored the final four points to secure the win.

Head Coach Luke Ward    
 • Luke Ward was announced as the new head coach of the TIU Volleyball program in May, after a successful stint as the assistant coach and junior varsity head coach at Olivet Nazarene.
 • Ward spent the past three seasons helping lead Olivet Nazarene to three straight CCAC Tournament appearances, where the Tigers twice reached the semifinals before making an appearance in the championship match last fall. 
 • During his time at ONU, Ward has been a part of a coaching staff that has developed ten All-CCAC Team award winners, including five All-CCAC First Team honorees, along with 24 CCAC All-Academic Team members. The team also won the CCAC Champions of Character Team Award in 2013.

Stat Leaders    
 • Lexie Voss ranks among the top hitters in the CCAC, with an average of 2.83 kills per set; the sophomore has the 5th-highest average in the conference.
 • Setter Suzanne Knudtson sits 10th in the CCAC, with an average of 6.00 assists per set.

Opponent Preview    
St. Ambrose
 • The Bees come into play this week on a nine-match slide, going winless since a pair of five-set victories on Aug. 21. In their first season as members of the CCAC, St. Ambrose went five sets with Roosevelt at home, but were swept in road matches by St. Xavier and Judson.
 • St. Ambrose currently has the CCACís top hitter, in sophomore Emily Hermiston. Hermiston leads the conference with 3.46 kills per set, and ranks 10th in the league with a .261 hitting percentage.
 • Senior setter Kate Nowak returns after being named All-Midwest Collegiate Conference Honorable Mention last season. She currently ranks 9th in the CCAC, with 6.56 assists per set.
 • Michelle Scott is averaging 4.20 digs per set along the back line, good for 5th in the conference.
 • SAU holds a 4-2 record against the Trojans over the past seven seasons as a non-conference opponent, but have not previously won inside Van Dixhorn Arena. The Trojansí and Beesí last meeting in Deerfield was on Sept. 21, 2012, a five-set win for the Trojans in which TIU battled back from a 2-1 deficit.

St. Xavier
 • The Cougars hold a 6-5 mark on the year, following a 1-1 mark over the weekend, including a straight-set loss at No. 16 Madonna (Mich.). SXU are 1-1 in league play, knocking off St. Ambrose in the conference opener, then falling on the road at Roosevelt in three sets.
 • SXU finished in a tie for second in the CCAC North Division a year ago, reaching the semifinals of the CCAC Tournament. All-CCAC senior Heidi Gregerson returns this year, and is currently tied for third in the conference with an average of 3.00 kills per set.
 • Setter Courtney Joyce ranks 2nd in the CCAC, and 45th nationally in the NAIA, with an average of 9.33 assists per set.
 • Senior Meghan Falsey sits 8th in the CCAC, with a .272 hitting percentage
 • The Cougars hold a 10-1 advantage over the Trojans since the 2007 season; SXU have claimed the past eight meetings, with the last win for Trinity coming in 2009.

Player Notes    
 • Trinity returns eight players from last season, but still consist of a young lineup, as no seniors are on the roster this year. Setter/defensive specialist Suzanne Knudton is the lone junior on the squad.
 • Sophomore Lexie Voss is the Trojansí leading returner in kills, and picked up a team-high nine kills against Robert Morris last week.
 • Marissa Boelter finished third on the team in digs last season and is this yearís top returner, with an average of 2.24 digs per set. The sophomore is currently averaging an even 2.67 kills and digs each set in 2015, and is the only Trojan to be over the 2.00-mark in both categories.

Up Next    
 • The Trojans finish out the current three-match homestand next Tuesday night, when they play host to the Roosevelt Lakers at 7:00 p.m.
 • TIU will then head to Joliet, Ill. on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3 for the first of two CCAC Crossovers. The Trojans will face Purdue-North Central, St. Francis, and Indiana-South Bend in matches that will count towards the conference standings.