BANNCOCKBURN, Ill. --- The TIU women's volleyball team kicked off the final week of the 2021 regular season on Tuesday night as they hosted the Fighting Saints of St. Francis (IL) in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play. Coming off back-to-back sweeps of Cardinal Stritch and Lincoln on the road last week, the Trojans looked to keep their momentum rolling against a tough Saints team.

Like in several of their previous matchups, TIU and St. Francis began the night in a close battle, jockeying for the lead in the opening set. While the Trinity offense performed well, they would not be able to stop a 7-3 USF late in the first, dropping the opening set 25-18.

Things looked promising for the Trojans in set two, opening on a 6-0 run before the Saint came rolling back late in the frame to win narrowly, 25-22. The rest of the night would come down to blocking defense and dominance at the service line, which saw Trinity assert control of heading into the third set.

St. Francis would jump out to a fast 8-1 lead in the third before the Trojans answered right back with a 7-0 run of their own thanks to three kills by Matty Hawkins and Brianna Torres, and a service ace by Emma Gallegos. Tied at 14 points a piece, TIU's offense roared down the stretch, forcing the match into a fourth set with a 25-20 win.

The fourth set would remain neck and neck with the Saints tying the frame up at 22 all before the Trojans scored three straight points on a pair of USF errors and a Madison Williams kill to win 25-22. Trinity would not take their foot off the pedal in the winner-take-all final frame, jumping out to a commanding 13-3 lead thanks to a number of USF errors and a solid offensive performance. With their patience in setting up their attacks, and excellent ball movement, the Trojans blaze their way across the finish line to win the fifth set 15-5, and complete the impressive comeback from down two sets to none to win, 3-2.

Torres ended the night with a match-high 20 kills in Trinity's come from behind win, while Hawkins notched 14 kills, and nine from Grace Mauersberger. In addition to 52 assists, Anna Skrzypchak led the TIU defense with 15 digs on defense, with Gallegos posting 12 digs, and 11 from Jaylyn Freeman. Williams, Hawkins, and Jazmin Coronado combined for six total blocks, as Lana Vujosevic, Gallegos, and Torres all combined for nine aces at the service line.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

• The Trojans improve to 10-15 all-time against St. Francis with their win on Tuesday night. TIU and USF end their regular season series for the season with both teams splitting their two meetings. The Saints beat the Trojans 3-0 back on Sept. 11 in Joliet.

• Tuesday night was Trinity's five-set win of the season. Entering the night 0-2 on the year in five-set matches, it is TIU's first five-set victory since Apr. 1 at home against Saint Xavier.

• Entering the final day of the regular season tomorrow, the Trojans are guaranteed to finish as high as fourth in the final CCAC standings, and no worse than sixth. TIU can clinch the fourth-seed and a home-match in the first round of the conference tournament with a win over Governors State on Wednesday.

• TIU recorded 12 total service aces in their win over the Saints to USF's five. The Trojans are 3-0 this season when posting ten or more aces in a match. 

• St. Francis dominated the match at the net with ten total blocks to Trinity's five.

• Brianna Torres' 20 kills against St. Francis are the second most she's recorded this season. The senior from Chula Vista, California notched 21 kills in TIU's Sept. 18 victory over Friends (KS).

• Lana Vujosevic's four service aces mark the fourth time she has posted four or more aces in a match. She has also recorded three or more aces in sixth matches this season.

• Setter Anna Skrzypchak's 52 assists on Tuesday are the second-most in a single match in her career, two shy of her career-high of 54.

• Skrzypchak now sits with 932 assists on the season, ninth most all-time in a single-season in program history. She also surpassed 1,600 assists in her career in the win, becoming just the fifth player in school history to reach that milestone.

UP NEXT

The Trojans (17-13) will wrap up the 2021 regular season tomorrow night as they host the Jaguars of Governors State University at home on senior night.  First serve is scheduled for 7:00pm CT at Van Dixhorn Arena, and can be watched LIVE on the Trojan Sports Network.
 

Visit TIUtrojans.com to stay up to date with the latest TIU women's volleyball news and updates.

Follow the Trojans online and on social media!

   Facebook - Trinity International Athletics    Trinity International Women's Volleyball

   Twitter - @TIUVolleyball   @TIUTrojans

   Instagram - TIU Athletics    @tiuvolleyball

   Snapchat - @TIUtrojans

   YouTube - TIU Athletics

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.