BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The TIU women's volleyball team welcomed the Cardinal Stritch Wolves to Van Dixhorn Arena on Monday night in a match-up of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) team. Coming off a 3-1 win over Concordia-Ann Arbor on Saturday, the Trojans looked to pick up their fourth win in league play.

Both teams struggled with errors throughout the opening set, but Trinity capitalized on a 5-0 run after being tied at 16, thanks to a pair of service aces by Jaylyn Freeman and two CSU attack errors. After taking the opening frame 25-19, the Trojan offense thrived in the second with 14 team kills as Cardinal Stritch struggled to contain the TIU attack as the blue and white took the second set by a score of 25-22.

The Wolves fought back in the third as the CSU offense found it's groove both offensively and on defense blocking at the net. After the Wolves took the third frame, the two teams dueled throughout the fourth before CSU forced a decisive fifth set after a nail-biting finish. In the fifth set, the Trojans remained focused as the TIU held Cardinal Stritch to just three kills in a competitive frame of action, with Trinity escaping with a two-point win to secure the 3-2 match victory.

Matty Hawkins led the Trojan offense with 16 kills in the win. Brianna Torres notched 12 kills and 19 digs, while Madeline Decker recorded a team-high 19 digs. Anna Skrzypchak and Skyler Muramoto combined for 55 assists in the victory, while Deborah Kovalczuk notched four total blocks.

Additional Match Notes

• With tonight's win, the Trojans earned their eighth win all-time against Cardinal Stritch. The Wolves still lead the series 16-8.

• Monday's victory extends TIU's winning streak in five-set matches to 15. The Trojan's last loss in a five-set match came on Oct. 5, 2018 against IU-South Bend.

• Trinity was out-blocked 7-4 by the Wolves in the match. 

• The Trojans recorded ten services aces in Monday's win, the most in a single match this season.

• TIU's 6-3 record is their best start through nine matches in the Luke Ward era (2015-pres.).

• This season marks the second consecutive year the Trojans have started CCAC with a 4-1 record. Last season's team would finish the season 13-5 in league play in finish fourth in the final regular season standings.

• Madeline Decker tied her career-high with nine kills in the win. Decker is five kills from passing Samantha Stoller (2011-14) on the program's all-time kills list, and 11 kills from becoming the sixth Trojan to ever record 1,000 career kills.

• Deborah Kovalczuk's four total blocks against Cardinal Stritch give her 173 for her career, surpassing Alida Knutson (2014-16) for seventh all-time in program history.

• With two service aces against the Wolves on Monday night, Brianna Torres moved into seventh place all-time in service aces in program history (97), passing Cheri Stoddard (2007-10).

NEXT UP

TIU (6-3) will return to action on Friday, February 26 as they host the Governors State Jaguars in CCAC play at Van Dixhorn Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7:00pm CT and can be followed live on the Trojan Sports Network.

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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.