NORTH CANTON, Ohio – #6 Trevecca Nazarene University (16-17, 7-5 Great Midwest) lost to #3 Walsh University (18-9, 9-3 Great Midwest) 3-2 (16-25, 25-23, 18-25, 12-15) in the Cecchini Center on Tuesday night.

*Trevecca's 16 win regular season tie the 16-17 team who accumulated the same amount of wins (16-13). The 2015-16 Trojans produced the last 20-win season, finishing 20-12.

GAME ESSENTIALS:

G-MAC Standings | Stats | G-MAC Scores | Div. II Scores 

2019 CHAMPIONSHIP | Great Midwest Digital Network

THE SERIES

After Trevecca won the first-ever meeting, the Cavaliers have won the last four. The 2019 season is the first in which the two teams have ever played more than once.

THE MATCH

The Trojans offense came ready to score taking early leads of 3-1 and 5-3. The Cavaliers countered with their first major run of the match, a 6-0 run, to take an 8-5 advantage. The score was 14-9 in favor of Walsh when the Trojans pushed back with a 6-0 run of their own to tie the match at 15-15. The set then swayed towards the Cavaliers who took the next eight points establishing a 23-15 lead which they would not relinquish. WU took set one 25-16. Down a set, the Trojans continued to attack at the net. The Trojans once again took an early lead in the set, 7-4. The difference came with the score tied at 11-11. Trevecca strung together a 6-1 run to lead 17-12. The Cavaliers would not concede though. The home team responded by pulling with one at 19-18, but a Mary Holmberg (SR/San Marcos, CA) kill finished off Walsh in the second, 25-23. Walsh regained the advantage as the third set opened with both teams trading leads. The Cavaliers pushed ahead 15-7 after a 6-0 run which was halted by a service error. Walsh captured the third set 25-18. The fourth set was one that the Trojans had to come from behind to win. Walsh established a 7-3 lead, but the Trojans managed to force a 10-10 tie. With the match tied at 17-17, the Trojans gained the edge to force a decisive fifth set. The 8-2 run finished off the Cavaliers 25-19 aided by Madison Martin (SO/Martinsville, IN) and Austyn Baldwin (SO/Kingston Springs, TN). In the winner-take-all fifth, the Cavaliers took the first two points before the Trojans tied it at 3-3. After Walsh regained a two-point lead at 7-5, the Trojans again pushed it to 7-7. A kill by Walsh's Justine Coffman set up match pint at 14-11 which the Trojans fended off with an Austyn Baldwin kill. Hallie Schroeder won the match for the Cavaliers with a kill, 15-12.

TOP PLAYERS

Austyn Baldwin led the way with a team-high 16 kills who also added five digs and two blocks. Lone senior Mary Holmberg finished the night with a hitting percentage of .450% (11/2/20), 11 kills and three digs. Ellie Buffler (FR/Nashville, TN) tallied a double-double with 13 kills and 20 digs. Madison Martin just missed that same mark with nine kills and 15 digs. Chloee McDaniel (FR/Hendersonville, TN) helped out with 40 assists and 14 digs.

THE TEAM

The Trojans out hit the Cavaliers in both sets they won, but for the match Walsh established a .228% to the Trojans' .151%. Walsh earned the edge in assists 57-49, and total blocks 10-3, while the Trojans collected more service aces 6-3.

WHAT'S NEXT 

The loss ends the season for the Trojans and the four-year career of senior Mary Holmberg.

MORE ABOUT THE TREVECCA TROJANS

Visit Official Home of Trevecca Athletics at www.tnutrojans.com

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