BANNOCKBURN, IL—The wrecking ball that is the Trojan women's volleyball squad continued its 2022 demolition tour, blasting a promising Olivet squad at Van Dixhorn Arena on Tuesday night.
In front of an energetic home crowd, the Trojans got right to work in the first set, surging ahead to a 5-1 lead. The young and talented Olivet Tigers started to battle back, but the Trojans were too much in the end, pouring on four straight scores later in the set to increase the margin to a nearly insurmountable 17-7. Not only was the Trojan offense firing on all cylinders, but standout libero Jaylyn Freeman was a pivotal defensive anchor for Trinity, coming up with several acrobatic digs as she propelled herself around the hardwood. The Trojans continued to balloon the already impressive advantage, making it simply a formality when veteran Lana Vujosevic continued her breakout campaign that gave her the distinction of reigning CCAC Attacking Player of the Week by ending the set with her fifth kill of the stanza. All told, the Trojans walked away with the first set in hand, winning by a comfortable 25-12 reckoning.
The scrappy Tigers showed their resolve in set number two, hanging tight with the high-powered Trojans before catching them off guard with six straight tallies to open up a 13-6 lead. The Trojans displayed their maturity and grit by clawing back into the contest, leaning on fifth-year standout Brianna Torres, who had a remarkable seven kills in the set, to help restore order and cut the Olivet advantage to just 17-15. However, the Tigers surged late and parlayed their momentum into a 25-20 set win to even things up at one set apiece.
While the Trojans may have taken a punch in the second set, they rose from the mat and struck even more forcefully in the third frame. The newly motivated Trojans rattled off seven straight points behind Freeman's serving brilliance to claim a commanding 8-1 lead right off the bat. Fueled by the two-headed monster of Torres and Vujosevic, who each recorded five kills in the stanza, the Trojans established a ten-point advantage midway through the set. Despite a few strong runs, the Tiger comeback effort was futile, and Trinity emerged victorious by a 25-17 score and claimed a two-sets-to-one lead in the match.
Smelling blood in the water, the Trojans left nary a doubt in the fourth set, ambushing the Tigers with six straight points mid-set to compliment a solid start and establish a daunting 19-8 advantage. Trinity never even contemplated relinquishing the lead, and the match came to a fitting conclusion when Torres notched her sixth kill of the set on a feed from workhorse setter Anna Skrzypchak, who recorded the 38th and final assist of a quietly spectacular night to conclude matters and put a final bow on a 25-14 set win that sealed the match, three sets to one.
The Trojans continued to play true team volleyball in the victory, seeing contributions from a variety of sources, but it was Torres (game-high 24 kills, .259 hitting percentage), Vujosevic (14 kills, .231 hitting percentage), Skrzypchak (38 assists with just one setting error), and Freeman (game-high 25 digs) who led the way for Trinity. The Trojans also picked up a critical conference win, setting their CCAC record at 8-2 and keeping them within striking distance of undefeated St. Xavier in the quest for their first conference crown since 2006. The Trojans still have both of their conference battles against St. Xavier upcoming, with an October 18th clash at Van Dixhorn and a regular season-ending road match carrying major title implications.
The Trojans (18-5) will seek to continue their dream season when they take to the tournament scene, participating in the Missouri Baptist University Classic in St. Louis, Missouri on October 14th and 15th.
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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.
