DEERFIELD, Ill. - Trinity International battled from behind to force a decisive fifth set Tuesday night, but ultimately fell after a slow start to the final game, 25-23, 17-25, 21-25, 25-22, 4-15, to the Cardinal Stritch Wolves.
Box Score | Season Stats
Lexie Voss led the Trojans (9-20, 3-8 CCAC) with 18 kills on the night, hitting a TIU-best .343.
Becca Kowalczuk picked up 18 digs to lead the back line, while freshman setter
Kayla Jacks recorded 38 assists.
Trinity held on for a tight 25-23 win in the opening set, despite Cardinal Stritch (15-17, 8-4 CCAC) scoring eight of the final eleven points of the game. Kills from
Gabby Miller,
Ashlyn Spay, and
Mickayla Staal fueled a 5-1 run that put the Trojans ahead 22-15, before the Wolves rally. Spay gave the Trojans set point with a kill at 24-21, then a service error at 25-23 clinched the early lead.
Stritch responded in the second set by taking four of the first five points, and holding a narrow lead throughout. Trinity pulled to within four points with a kill from Staal, but back-to-back kills from CSU's Breanna Schaedel extended the visitors' lead and kept TIU from mounting a comback.
Three big swings highlighted the third set; Trinity moved ahead using a 5-1 run, to take a 7-6 lead, before five straight from the Wolves put Stritch back in front. Five straight errors allowed the Trojans to tie the game at 13-13, but the Wolves then responded with six of the next seven points, and would go on to take a 2-1 edge in the match.
Thirteen consecutive sideouts between both teams started the fourth set, giving the Trojans a razor-thin lead at 7-6. Trinity would stay in front until a three-point rally gave CSU a 13-11 advantage. TIU would battle back again, tying the game at 20-20 with a kill from Voss. Closing the set with five of the final six points, Trinity would force a fifth set with the 25-22 win thanks in part to back-to-back blocks from
Alida Knudtson, Spay, and Jacks.
After the rally at the end of the fourth, the momentum wouldn't carry over into the decisive set, as the Wolves scored ten straight to take a commanding lead. Voss would register three kills in the set, but the deficit proved too much to overcome as Trinity fell 15-4.
The Trojans return to Van Dixhorn Arena later this week, when they host St. Ambrose on Friday night. The Homecoming match against the Bees is set to start at 6:00 p.m.
