NASHVILLE - The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team extended its winning streak to six matches and moved into a three-way tie atop the Gulf South Conference standings with a 3-0 sweep of the University of Montevallo on Tuesday at Trojan Fieldhouse.
Trevecca (9-8, 6-1 GSC) won 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 to join West Alabama and UAH in first place. Montevallo dropped to 11-6 overall and 4-3 in the league.
Katilyn Grant powered the Trojans with 19 kills and a .667 hitting percentage, while Brynne Krangnes surpassed 500 assists at Trevecca and Isabella Sherrod reached 600 career digs. The victory sets up a Friday showdown at West Alabama to open a three-match conference road trip.
MATCH RECAP
Trevecca opened the first set with a 5-1 lead, but Montevallo rallied to build a 22-17 advantage. The Trojans answered with seven consecutive points, six with Kayla Bullard serving, to turn the five-point deficit into a 24-22 lead. Jordan Hunt and Emma Schnitzer combined for a block to tie the set, Sherrod delivered the go-ahead kill, and Schnitzer followed with a solo block. After Montevallo stayed alive, Schnitzer finished the comeback with a kill for the 25-23 win.
The Trojans carried that momentum into the second set, racing to a 7-1 lead and staying in front throughout. Grant collected nine kills without an error in the frame, including the final two Trevecca points. Montevallo trimmed a 24-18 deficit to 24-21 before Grant put away the set-winning kill. Trevecca hit .333 with 17 kills in the set.
Trevecca broke a 5-5 tie in the third set with a 9-3 run that included a Krangnes ace, a Hunt solo block and a Hunt ace. The Trojans led 18-12 before Montevallo closed within 19-18. Following a timeout, Trevecca scored the final six points. Schnitzer supplied three kills during the closing run, Sherrod added another, and Bullard served an ace on match point to complete the sweep.
TROJAN HIGHLIGHTS
Grant produced 19 kills against one error on 27 swings, added three block assists and led all players with 20.5 points. Her seven kills in the opening set and nine in the second gave her 16 through two sets.
Schnitzer followed her career-best 21 kills at Lee with 12 kills and two blocks against Montevallo. Krangnes directed the offense with 38 assists, seven digs, one kill, one ace and one block assist.
Lily Vanbebber led Trevecca with 15 digs, four assists and two aces. Sherrod contributed seven kills on .333 hitting, 10 digs and two block assists. Bullard added four kills, nine digs and an ace, while Hunt finished with three blocks and an ace. Zoie Elrod also served an ace.
Trevecca finished with 44 kills and a .269 hitting percentage while holding Montevallo to 35 kills and .158 hitting. The Trojans led 7-3 in blocks and 6-4 in aces, limiting the Falcons to a .065 hitting percentage in the final set.
MILESTONES AND MOMENTUM
Krangnes crossed 500 Trevecca assists in her 17th match as a Trojan, finishing with 535. Including 35 assists at Evansville, she now has 570 collegiate assists. She has recorded at least 30 assists in eight consecutive matches.
Sherrod entered three digs shy of 600 and reached the milestone in the opening set. Her 10 digs brought her career total to 607.
Grant played in her 100th collegiate match and finished three kills short of 1,000 for her college career. She takes 997 collegiate kills into the weekend, including 561 at Trevecca. Her 198 kills this season leave her two from 200, and Tuesday's 19-kill performance fell one short of her career high of 20.
Vanbebber increased her career digs total to 1,084 and moved within 22 of 300 for the season. Head coach Emily Moore earned her 120th victory at Trevecca.
The Trojans have won five consecutive GSC matches and five straight at home. Their six-match winning streak includes three sweeps and an 18-5 record in sets. Tuesday marked Trevecca's sixth sweep of the season and fifth consecutive victory over Montevallo in Gulf South play.
UP NEXT
Trevecca takes its share of first place on the road Friday, October 9, facing West Alabama at 6 p.m. CT at Pruitt Hall Gym in Livingston, Ala. The matchup pits two of the league's three co-leaders against each other, with Grant three kills from the 1,000-kill milestone.
The Trojans continue to Clinton, Miss., for a 1 p.m. CT match Saturday, October 10, at Mississippi Christian before visiting fellow first-place team UAH at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday, October 13, in Huntsville, Ala.
Links to live stats and live video are available on the Trevecca volleyball schedule at tnutrojans.com.
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