MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- The TIU women's volleyball team kicked off spring break play on Friday night as they visited the 14th-ranked Pilots of Bethel University at Wiekamp Athletic Center in non-conference play. Bethel was added to the Trinity schedule as a late replacement following the cancellation of TIU's originally scheduled matches at Missouri Baptist and Lyon (AR).

The Trojans battled early with Pilots, but struggled to finish on their attacks, often committing errors when returning the ball over the net. Bethel would score seven straight points with a .361 attack percentage as they rolled to a 25-14 win in the first set. In the second, Trinity rallied after a slow start, but struggled to match Bethel's excellent service play, as the Pilots notched nine total aces on the day. Despite scoring on three straight set points, TIU could not come back in the second, dropping the set 25-19.

The third set saw both the Trojans and Pilots jockey back and forth for the first 15 points, before Bethel scored five straight on a TIU error, one kill and three service aces. After Trinity closed the Bethel lead to just three points, the Pilots put together another strong 7-0 run to win the set 25-14 and complete the sweep of the Trojans, 3-0.

Brianna Torres led TIU with 11 kills on offense, with one of Trinity's three service aces. Anna Skrypchak notched 25 assists in the loss, while Jaylyn Freeman recorded 17 digs on defense. 

Additional Match Notes

• With the loss, the Trojans fall to 0-3 all-time against the Pilots.

• TIU is 0-2 this season against teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA top 25.

• Friday's night's loss snaps TIU's five match winning streak, their longest of the season

• Bethel unblocked Trinity 8-2 in the match.

• The Trojans committed 17 attack errors, most against a non-conference opponent since committing 22 errors against Cumberland (TN) on Jan. 22.

• Brianna Torres' 11 kills give her 928 for her career, surpassing Stephanie Whelan for seventh on the program's all-time kills list.

NEXT UP

TIU (9-4) returns to action tomorrow afternoon, March 6 as they visit the Racers of the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima. First serve is scheduled for 3:00 P.M. EST and can be watched on the Racer 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.