BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — The Trojans sought to extend their streak of five consecutive victories against the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose on Tuesday night, but instead suffered a hard-fought defeat, three sets to two.

It was an electric atmosphere at Trinity's Van Dixhorn Arena all night long as the two conference powerhouses clashed in the Trojans' CCAC opener. Trinity came out swinging in the first set, jumping out to a 7-2 lead, but the Bees slowly chipped away at the advantage, and the set was at a near deadlock most of the way. The Trojans finally carved out a slim advantage with three straight points before closing the deal behind a pair of kills by Madison Williams that gave Trinity a 25-21 set victory.

While the first set was thrilling, the second stanza was on a whole different level. The Trojans lagged slightly behind the Bees for much of the set, but clawed back in, largely behind contributions from libero Jaylyn Freeman, whose hands seemed magnetized to the ball as she popped up nearly anything in her vicinity en route to a team-high 20 digs. The Trojan rally tied the set at 24 before the Bees scored consecutive points to even up the match, 1-1.

The Trojans faltered out of the gate in set three, trailing by a daunting 14-4 margin, and remained behind by double digits as late as 18-8. That's when reigning CCAC student-athlete of the week Brianna Torres, who had been held back by the Bees to that point, caught fire, notching six kills in a span of just eight points. While the Trojans did ultimately drop the set, 25-17, it was not a lost cause entirely for Trinity, as newcomers Theresa Romero, Isabella Acosta, and Halsie Keitner all had bursts of brilliance, showing the program a glimpse of its future and indicating that the Trojans could get production from up and down their roster on a nightly basis.

With their backs to the wall, the Trojans responded in set four. After a fairly quiet night, Madison Williams moved into the limelight for Trinity, notching five kills as the game progressed to a 22-22 stalemate. The Trojans then dug deep to claim the next three points and the set, queueing up a winner-take-all fifth stanza between the conference rivals.

The fifth set, like the rest of the night, was too close to call most of the way. The Bees erased a one-point Trojan lead with four straight scores, forcing a Trojan timeout with Trinity trailing, 9-6, in the decisive battle to 15. Trinity was still behind, 13-8, when forced to use another timeout, this one spurring the Trojans to three consecutive points to narrow the Ambrose advantage to two. However, the Bees held their ground, defeating the Trojans 15-12 in the set to claim the match by a 3-2 margin.

While the Trojans' five-game winning streak came to a close, it wasn't without a valiant fight and some standout individual performances. Brianna Torres continued her red-hot stretch, leading the team with 19 kills while adding two blocks and 13 digs. Madison Williams registered an absurdly efficient .360 hitting percentage to go with her 11 kills, while veterans Anna Skrzypchak and Jaylyn Freeman were extremely solid in their domains, with Skrzypchak racking up a game-high 45 assists and Freeman leading the Trojans with 20 digs.

Up Next
The Trojans will seek to start a new winning streak when they travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa on Friday, September 2, to participate in the Jimmy John's Classic.
 
 

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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.