Isabella Acosta Hitting
Stephen Largent
0
Trinity International TIU 25-9
3
Winner Saint Xavier SXU 22-8
Trinity International TIU
25-9
0
Final
3
Saint Xavier SXU
22-8
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Trinity International TIU 23 20 18 (0)
Saint Xavier SXU 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | Ethan Oskroba

Trojans' CCAC run ends in semifinal loss to Saint Xavier

CHICAGO, IL—Trinity's quest for their first CCAC title in nearly two decades came to a close on Thursday night, with the visiting Trojans falling to the top-seeded Cougars of St. Xavier in their semifinal tilt.

Trojan head coach Luke Ward decided to shake things up with his starting lineup, rewarding Halsie Keltner and Isabella Acosta, who both played key roles off the bench in the Trojans' quarterfinal victory over St. Francis, with a promotion to the starting six. The tinkering, which sought to help account for the lost firepower of sidelined star Lana Vujosevic, who led the way in the quarterfinal with 16 kills, paid immediate dividends for Trinity. Keltner and Acosta combined for five early kills as the Trojans erased a five-point deficit to knot the set at 12. The Trojans found their groove in the middle portion of the stanza, with Acosta recording yet another kill as Trinity rallied for three straight scores and a 15-13 advantage. Trailing once more, now by an 18-17 margin, the Trojans again combusted, with Trinity megastar Brianna Torres picking up a block and a kill to conclude a run of four straight that put Trinity up 21-18. Another kill from Keltner pushed the Trojans to within three of claiming the set, but a fateful St. Xavier run put the Trojans on the defensive. While another kill from the red-hot Torres was able to parry the first Cougar set point, the home squad scored on the subsequent play to lay claim to the opening set by a narrow 25-23 final tally.

Hoping for better fortunes in the second set, the Trojans again fell behind early, trailing 8-3. In need of a spark, the Trojans turned to Acosta, and the true freshman who has typically served as a reserve setter this season continued to produce in her natural outside hitter capacity, recording three straight kills to bring the Trojans within one. Acosta (7 kills, one ace in the set) and Torres (4 kills, one block) did everything they could to coax their Trojans back into the set, but the Trojans remained a few points behind for much of the duration of the stanza. A double block by Keltner and Madison Williams brought the Trojans within striking distance late, reducing the Cougar advantage to 22-20, but St. Xavier had the final say, scoring the last three tallies to win the set, 25-20, and build a daunting 2-0 edge in the match.

With their CCAC lives on the line, the Trojans came out swinging in the third set, notching the first two points and scrapping ahead to a 11-10 lead. In the quarterfinals, it was freshman Theresa Romero who showcased her abilities under the bright lights of the postseason and etched an indelible mark in Trojan lore. This night belonged to her fellow rookie Acosta, who forged on with her breakout effort, providing six more kills in what would prove to be the concluding stanza. Though Trinity benefitted from Acosta's heroics, the team lost significant ground in the middle portion of the set, conceding an 8-2 run to the Cougars to lag behind by an 18-13 score. The Trojans continued to resist, but a defeat seemed inevitable as St. Xavier queued up a match point with the Trojans still trailing by a wide margin. While Trinity's standout setter Anna Skrzypchak served up a pinpoint feed for Acosta to add one more kill to the freshman's iconic performance, the Cougars sealed the deal, ensuring the victory in straight sets and ousting the Trojans from the tournament.

While the Trojans came up short in their goal of claiming the program's first conference tournament crown since 2004, Thursday's loss closes the ledger on what was a brilliant conference campaign for Trinity. The squad's 13-4 record in CCAC play marked the fourth straight season that the Trojans have won exactly 13 conference matches as the program continues to establish itself as a powerful player on both the local and national scale.

Despite the defeat, the Trojans had plenty to feel good about, as Trinity's youth movement shined brightly on the grand stage to help quell the fears and doubts that may have seeped into the minds of the Trojan faithful with several key contributors graduating after this season. True freshman Isabella Acosta had the game of her life, doubling her previous high of eight kills in an outstanding 16-kill, 12-dig opus. Fellow newcomer Halsie Keltner also impressed, notching five kills on an uber-efficient .333 hitting percentage. And longtime Trinity icons Brianna Torres and Anna Skrzypchak, each playing in their final CCAC contest, went out with a bang, with Torres piling up a well-rounded line of 11 kills, eight digs, and a pair of blocks, while Skrzypchak continued her foray towards the very peak of the Trojan assist leaderboard with 30 more helpers on the evening.

While the Trojans (25-9) have been eliminated from CCAC play, their postseason run will continue as they shift their focus to the NCCAA playoffs, with their opening round matchup set to be scheduled shortly.
 
 
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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.
 
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