MEMPHIS – The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team (6-9, 2-1 GSC) knocked off Christian Brothers University (4-9, 0-3 GSC) in Canale Arena on Tuesday evening.
The Trojans defeated the Buccaneers in four sets, winning, 16-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-11.
THE SERIES
The all-time series heavily sways in favor of CBU dating back to the 1978 season when the two sides first met. The Buccaneers hold a 52-6 all-time series lead, but the Trojans earn the 4-3 edge in matches played during the Division II era.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The hosts got out to a hot 7-3 start and did not look back in this one. Despite the Trojans rally to tie the opener at 9-9, CBU never trailed in the first set using a 10-2 extended run to take a 22-14 lead. The Bucs won the first set, 25-16.
The second set started off similar to the first in that CBU looked at an early 6-3 lead. Down two, the Trojans earned their first lead of the night off a 4-0 to take a 7-6 advantage. The teams traded points until Trevecca went on a 9-2 run midway through to lead 21-17. With a 23-19 lead on their service game, the Trojans earned the second set off back-to-back service aces, winning 25-19.
Christian Brothers took the first point of the third and the teams took turns trading blows before the Trojans created a little separation with a 6-2 run that ended in an 11-7 lead. Trevecca's lead in the third grew to as many as seven at 16-9 when consecutive service errors gave the Trojans their largest cushion of the evening. CBU did not back down, pulling to within one at 17-16 before the Trojans rattled off the next four points. The third ended much like the second as a pair of service aces set up set point which was finished off by a
Skias Hainline kill, 25-18.
For the first time in the match, the Trojans secured the opening point of a set. In fact, the opening to the fourth was comfortable for Trevecca as it only needed to produce three kills in its first 11 points. A flurry of bad sets and service or attack errors gave way for a quick start. After commanding a 13-5 advantage, both sides alternated two points apiece before the Trojans finished off the set and match with six straight points, winning 25-11.
THE TEAM
The Trojans produced 45 kills on the evening with a team hitting percentage of .260, close to double that of CBU's .134 mark. Trevecca had 58 digs, 18 blocks and 10 service aces.
THE PLAYERS
Emma Titus led the way with a team-high 14 kills and eight digs while hitting .364.
Skias Hainline added in eight kills and six digs while freshman
Isabella Sherrod had a season-most five service aces to go with five digs and a kill.
Sherrod's five service aces are the most in a match since
Elizabeth Wells had six in a match against KWC last season.
Mackenzie O'Loughlin tallied a season-high seven service aces against Upper Iowa a year ago while former Trojan Chloee McDaniel collected eight service aces in a contest with Bluefield State, the most in almost a decade.
UP NEXT
Trevecca continues its stretch of road competition in the Gulf South by taking on the University of West Alabama (1-12, 0-4 GSC) on Friday night in Livingston, Alabama.
The Trojans have never beaten the Tigers, having last played in the 2002 season. West Alabama holds a 2-0 lead over Trevecca in the all-time series.
