BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The Trinity International Trojan volleyball team took on the Judson University Eagles on Thursday night at Van Dixhorn Arena in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play. From the first serve to the last, fans in attendance were treated to a spectacle of a match.

Facing a balanced Judson team, the Trojans were tested early by the Eagles high powered offense, which registered 13 kills in the first set. TIU was able to stay with Judson for most of the frame before Judson scored three of the final five points to take the first set, 25-22.

The Trojans faced much of the same attack in the second, but was able to capitalize on a number of Eagle errors. Behind Sara Andric's offense in the front court and a solid defensive effort in the back, TIU was able to reverse the score of the first set in the second, evening the match at a set a piece.

Brianna Torres and Matty Hawkins helped flip the switch in the third as the Trojans bolted out of the gate. TIU forced Judson into nine errors on offense while posting ten kills of their own on a .214 attack percentage. The Trojans also halted their competition at the net as they roared to a 25-16 win in the third.

The Eagles would fight back in the fourth as the Trojans lost momentum and allowed the Judson offense to strike. Aided by several TIU errors, Judson forced a fifth set by taking the fourth by a score of 25-22.

In the winner-take-all fifth set, it was the Trojans that would find themselves on top as both offense and defense executed very few errors. Backed by a late service ace by Skyler Muramoto, the Trojans rolled in the fifth 15-7 to take the match three sets to two over the Eagles.

Penina Sao led the team in digs with 16 while Torres totaled 15. Muramoto notched 35 assists, while Torres and Andric both had 11 kills in the match.

The win gives the Trojans their 20th of the season and puts them in second place in the CCAC standings with five matches to go. TIU also improves to 6-0 in five set matches this season.

The Trojans will be back in action on Tuesday, October 29 when they will look to win their third straight win as they hit the road against conference-leading Trinity Christan. The Trolls defeated TIU 3-1 in their first meeting in Deerfield on September 5.

Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness and lifelong learning.