OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team (17-10, 9-5 Great Midwest) knocked off Kentucky Wesleyan College (6-19, 2-12 Great Midwest) in a thrilling five-set match, 3-2 (21-25, 16-25, 25-15, 27-25, 15-10), on Tuesday night at Jones Gymnasium.

The Trojans have three regular season matches remaining, starting with their final home match on Friday when Northwood University visits for senior night. It will be the final home match for seniors Ellie Buffler, Emma Green, and Sami Raley. Northwood is making its first trip to Trojan Fieldhouse as a new member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

THE SERIES

The win gives Trevecca the edge of 12-11 in the all-time series with the Panthers. The Trojans won for the fifth consecutive time. It is their second five-match win streak in the series. Both schools are founding members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and only met once prior to the inaugural Great Midwest meeting in the fall of 2012. The teams met once in 2003, a 3-0 sweep for the Trojans. So, the teams are 11-11 in Great Midwest meetings.

THE FLOW

The Trojans looked to be on their way from the start, gaining a 4-0 lead and led 8-3 early in the first set. KWC closed the gap, but the Trojans led 15-11. KWC caught the Trojans and pulled ahead 17-15. The Panthers never trailed again, taking the set 25-21.

There were five ties and three lead changes in the second set after just one of each in the first. Neither team led by more than three until KWC pulled ahead 14-10. From there they continued to pull away. After the Trojans took a 10-9 lead, KWC outscored the Trojans 16-6 for a 25-16 win a 2-0 edge in the match.

The Panthers opened up a 4-1 edge in the third, forcing Trojan timeout. The Trojans turned the set in their favor with a 19-7 run. Trevecca eventually took the set by 10, 25-15. Trevecca had their best attack percentage of the night in the third, .263 (14-4-38).

KWC roared off the bench in the fourth, taking a 6-1 lead. The Panthers held off the Trojan's multiple attempts at a run and led 18-14 with the set and match slipping away from the Trojans. The Trojans got a side out and Katie Crutchfield came on to serve and picked up five points on serve, giving the Trojans their first lead (20-18) since the opening point. The Panthers were not done and pushed the set to extra points before the Trojans got the 27-25 win setting up a fifth and deciding set.

The teams traded points and lead in the early moments of the fifth, but with KWC leading 3-2, the Trojan's Ellie Buffler got a kill for a side out and then served the Trojans to the lead and then a 9-3 edge with six consecutive points on serve. The Trojans eventually led by as many as seven and settled for a 15-10 win.

THE NOTES

Ellie Buffler produced a 21.0-point night with 19 kills and 21 digs. She added two blocks and a service ace. Emma Titus swung for 15 kills with eight digs and six blocks. Emma Green blocked seven and added seven kills. Emilee McDonald had 48 assists and 20 digs. Maddie Wilds had nine kills, two service aces, and 21 digs.  

THE SENIORS

EMMA GREEN

Green got her first career service ace this year and has 11 on the season. Prior to this season, she had 14 digs, and she produced 41 this season alone. Equally impressive are her block totals. She had 28 career blocks in her first three seasons but has 78 this season.

Emma Green has 205 career kills and a .250 attack percentage. She has 55 digs and 106 blocks.

SAMI RALEY

Raley is second on the team in blocks with 66 and is tops with nine solo blocks. Her 66 blocks are a career-high. She is fourth on the team is kills with 147.  Her four service aces are a career-high.

Raley has 407 career kills and a .273 attack percentage. She has 50 digs and 161 blocks.

Her 161 blocks are the seventh most in program history in the NCAA Era.

ELLIE BUFFLER

Buffler leads the team with 323 kills and service aces with 65. She has a career-high .211 attack percentage this season. She also has a career-high in assist (33), and service aces (65).

Buffler has 1272 career kills with 176 aces, 920 digs, and 123 blocks.

Buffler has the second most career kills in the NCAA D2 Era. Her 176 aces are the most in the D2 Era. She also has the second most career points with more than 1,500. Her 920 digs are the sixth most.

Buffler picked up her career kill No. 1000 during the final match of the Ray Thrasher Classic.

She has the third most career kills all-time (NAIA/NCAA) behind Michelle Arend Plummer and Katelyn Atkinson. She is second in service aces all-time (NAIA/NCAA) behind only Natalie Pifer.

THE SEASON

The Great Midwest coaches picked Trevecca to finish second in the G-MAC South Division and for most of the season, that is where the Trojans have been. Trevecca opened the season winning all four matches in the second annual Ray Thrasher Classic. The Trojans added a five-match win streak all in league play midway through the season, knocking off KWC, Ursuline, Lake Erie, Malone, and Walsh. The last two on the road.

Emilee McDonald was named the Great Midwest Defender of the Week twice this season (09/19/22, 10/02/22).

Ellie Buffler was named the Great Midwest Player of the Week (10/10/22).

Ellie Buffler was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Week (10/11/22).

UP NEXT

The final three regular season matches include Northwood Friday at 6 PM. Then a trip to Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, November 4 and Cedarville (Ohio) University on Saturday, November 5.

All three are key to the Trojan's postseason script. This is the first meeting for Trevecca and Northwood as Great Midwest opponents. Trevecca and Northwood have met once in volleyball. Northwood won that 2016 meeting in five sets. They played a neutral site match at the University of North Alabama. Trevecca defeated Ohio Dominican and Cedarville earlier this year in Nashville.

The Trojans have a 6-4 advantage over the Panthers in the series. The Trojans have won two in a row.

The Trojans have won the last three matches against Cedarville, with the Yellow Jackets controlling a 16-7 lead in the all-time series.

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