BANNOCKBURN, Ill. --- The Trojans continued to steamroll all comers on Thursday night, thrilling the Trinity faithful with a massive four-set victory over the Fighting Saints of St. Francis at Van Dixhorn Arena.

The Trojans set the tone right off the bat, with Lana Vujosevic starting off the match with a pair of service aces as the Trojans scored the first three points of the contest. The Trojans rode the momentum to a 24-21 advantage before St. Francis dug deep and scored three consecutive tallies to even the score at 24. After calling timeout to regroup, the Trojans sealed the deal, claiming the set behind freshman standout Theresa Romero's fourth kill of the set followed by a brilliant block by Nadia Wheeler to close things out.

The Trojans seized the momentum and ran with it to start the second set, surging out to a 12-4 advantage. The dynamic Emma Gallegos came off the bench to deliver two aces in the set, showcasing her multifaceted ability after filling in as the Trojan libero for Jaylen Freeman just two nights ago. Brianna Torres continued her season-long assault on the floorboards across the net, notching five kills in the set to lead the Trojans to a fairly comfortable 25-13 set win and a commanding two sets to zero advantage.

With their backs to the wall, the Fighting Saints lived up to their name in what would prove to be the penultimate set, grabbing a 4-3 lead that they would never relinquish. The Trojans continued to play solid volleyball, with Torres tacking on another four kills and Vujosevic launching herself all over the court as she did all night, racking up several highlight-reel digs. However, the Saints ultimately closed the deal to stay alive, scoring seven of the last nine points to win the set 25-16 and cut the Trojan lead in half.

Trinity entered set four determined to finish the job, establishing a slim lead throughout most of the set, but St. Francis managed to fend off a Trojan breakaway and knot the contest at 17. The Trojans found their most impactful stretch amidst the adversity, stringing together five straight scores to finally gain the upper hand. A few points later, the Trojans put it away, with star setter Anna Skrzypchak recording her 11th assist of the set on a kill by Madison Williams, who ripped a spike through the hands of the Saints' would-be blockers for her fifth kill of the stanza, the last one the Trojans would need as they claimed the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.

While it's hard to pick a few standouts from the balanced and impressive Trojan effort, some of the most impactful contributors were Torres (game-high 17 kills), Williams (10 kills, .319 hitting percentage), and Skrzypchak (game-high 40 assists).

The win was an incredibly meaningful one for the Trojans (12-2) on multiple fronts. Not only did it keep their seven-match winning streak alive, but it also helped them gain ground in the quest for the program's first conference title in over a decade and a half. Not only did the Trojans (3-1 in conference play) knock off the Saints, who had been undefeated in four conference matches before Thursday, but they also remained within striking distance of undefeated St. Ambrose (4-0 conference record) and St. Xavier (3-0).

Up Next:
The surging Trojans, who now rank fifth in the country in the NCCAA's ranks, will gun for their eighth win in a row when they take on Indiana University Kokomo in Kokomo, Indiana, on the afternoon of Saturday, September 17.
 
 

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TIU Trojans
TIU Women's Volleyball

 
 

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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.