NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University volleyball team has spent the opening weeks of the season working through a demanding schedule and searching for the right combinations.
On Tuesday night inside Trojan Fieldhouse, the Trojans found one that delivered their biggest win of the young season.
Trevecca (4-8, 2-1 GSC) fought off two match points in the fifth set and rallied past preseason Gulf South Conference favorite Alabama Huntsville (10-2, 2-1 GSC), 3-2, in a two-hour, 26-minute battle.
The Trojans took the match 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22, 16-14.
UAH entered the night tied atop the GSC standings after opening conference play 2-0. The Chargers were picked first in the GSC preseason coaches' poll with seven first-place votes, while Trevecca was selected second. Tuesday's result moved the Trojans alongside UAH at 2-1 in conference play.
It was a night filled with standout individual performances.
With Isabella Sherrod moving to the outside, the junior responded with one of the strongest all-around matches of her career, producing a career-high 15 kills on a career-high 51 attacks while adding 20 digs for a double-double.
Emma Schnitzer turned in another big offensive performance with a career-high and match-high 19 kills on a career-high 64 attacks. She added 16 digs for another double-double.
Setter Brynne Krangnes produced her own career night, handing out a career-high 45 assists while collecting a career-high 11 digs. She also contributed four kills and a career-high four total blocks, including two solo blocks, for Trevecca's third double-double of the night.
Then there was Lily Vanbebber.
The junior libero turned in 35 digs, tying her career high set at Valdosta State during the 2025 season. Her performance helped the Trojans finish with 92 digs as a team against the Charger attack.
Vanbebber also added five assists and two service aces.
The 35-dig performance moved Vanbebber to 993 career digs, leaving her just seven away from becoming the next Trojan to reach 1,000 career digs.
She is already one of the most accomplished defensive players of Trevecca's NCAA era. Vanbebber owns the program's NCAA-era single-season records for digs with 562 and digs per set at 4.72, both set during the 2025 season.
Her 35 digs against UAH are also just two shy of the Trevecca NCAA-era single-match record of 37, set by Claire Hindman against Kentucky Wesleyan.
Vanbebber now has 83 career service aces to go with her 993 digs.
SERIES HISTORY
Trevecca and UAH have developed into one of the more competitive series on the Trojans' Gulf South schedule.
UAH has historically controlled the matchup, but Trevecca has changed the direction of the series recently.
The Trojans swept the Chargers in Huntsville during the 2025 regular season before UAH answered with a four-set victory at Trojan Fieldhouse. Trevecca then eliminated UAH in five sets in the 2025 Gulf South Conference semifinal to advance to the program's first GSC championship match.
Tuesday's victory gives Trevecca wins in three of the last four meetings with UAH and back-to-back five-set victories over the Chargers.
MATCH RECAP
The tone for the evening was established immediately.
Neither side separated itself in the opening set until Trevecca built the largest lead of the frame at 14-10. UAH answered and eventually moved in front before holding off the Trojans, 25-23.
Trevecca responded in the second.
UAH opened a 12-6 advantage, but the Trojans steadily worked their way back. Trevecca drew even at 19-19 before closing the set on a 6-3 run. Schnitzer supplied an ace, Sherrod added a kill and Krangnes finished the set with a kill for the 25-22 win.
The Chargers answered in the third.
Trevecca opened an 8-3 lead, but UAH rallied to tie the set at 9-9. The Chargers later put together a six-point run to move ahead 20-17 and held off another Trevecca charge for a 25-23 win and a 2-1 match lead.
That left Trevecca needing the fourth set to stay alive.
The Trojans opened a 5-2 advantage before UAH recovered. The teams traded runs throughout the set, with UAH eventually taking a 16-13 lead.
Trevecca would not go away.
The Trojans pulled even at 18-18 and eventually closed the set with a 5-2 finishing push to win 25-22 and force a fifth.
The deciding set delivered even more drama.
Trevecca scored the first two points before UAH answered, and neither team was able to gain separation. There were nine ties and four lead changes in the fifth set alone.
UAH eventually reached match point with a 14-12 advantage.
Trevecca answered.
The Trojans erased both match points, pulled even at 14-14 and finished off the comeback with four consecutive points for the 16-14 victory.
It completed a match that featured 33 ties and 22 lead changes.
UP NEXT
The Trojans continue their four-match home stand with two more Gulf South Conference matches this weekend inside Trojan Fieldhouse.
Trevecca hosts Union University on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m., followed by Christian Brothers University on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m.
Live statistics and the FloCollege live stream for both matches are available on the Trevecca volleyball schedule page:
https://tnutrojans.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule
MORE ABOUT THE TREVECCA TROJANS
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