NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team (18-10, 10-5 Great Midwest) swept Northwood University (13-14, 7-7 Great Midwest) in a three-set match, 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-17), on Senior night at Trojan Fieldhouse.

THE SERIES

Trevecca and Northwood have met once before in volleyball. Northwood won that 2016 meeting in five sets. They played a neutral site match at the University of North Alabama. The Trojans now tie the all-time series 1-1.

THE FLOW

Northwood came out strong and built an early 7-2 lead before the Trojans rallied to tie the game up at 15-15 off kills by Maddie Wilds and Emma Titus. The set's theme was Northwood building a lead and the Trojans fighting to tie it up. That trend ended when the Trojans took their first lead of the set when a Northwood attack error made it 21-20 in the Trojan's favor. The Trojans finished off the set on an 8-2 run when Katie Crutchfield got a service ace to claim the set 25-22.

Trevecca began the second set with a 9-2 run as they continued their momentum. But like the Trojans in the first set, Northwood rallied to get within 14-12. But the Trojans pulled ahead on an 11-4 run to take the set 25-16, highlighted by three kills by Emma Titus.

Continuing the momentum into the third set, the Trojans stormed to a 10-5 lead. Later in the set, the Trojans would go on an 8-1 run to make it 20-9, led by four points by Ellie Buffler, two of which were service aces. The Trojans finished the set off strong and claimed it 25-17.

THE NOTES

Ellie Buffler produced 14 kills and eight digs. She added two service aces as well. Titus swung for 10 kills and a block. Emilee McDonald had 29 assists and six digs. Maddie Wilds had five kills, a service ace, and eight digs.  

THE SENIORS

EMMA GREEN

Green got her first career service ace this year and has 11 on the season. Before this season, she had 14 digs and produced 42 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 208 career kills and a .248 attack percentage. She has 56 digs and 106 blocks.

SAMI RALEY

Raley is second on the team in blocks with 70 and is tops with nine solo blocks. Her 70 blocks are a career-high. She is fourth on the team in kills with 151. Her four service aces are a career-high.

Raley has 411 career kills and a .274 attack percentage. She has 50 digs and 165 blocks.

Her 165 blocks are the seventh most in program history in the NCAA Era.

ELLIE BUFFLER

Buffler leads the team with 337 kills and service aces with 67. She has a career-high .218 attack percentage this season. She also has a career-high in assist (33), and service aces (67).

Buffler has 1286 career kills with 178 aces, 928 digs, and 123 blocks.

Buffler has the second most career kills in the NCAA D2 Era. Her 178 aces are the most in the D2 Era. She also has the second most career points, with more than 1,500. Her 928 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 two regular season matches include a trip to Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday, November 4, and Cedarville (Ohio) University on Saturday, November 5. The two remaining games are critical to the Trojan's postseason script. 

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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