CHICAGO, Ill. – Senior Brooke Veldman led Trinity with five kills on the night, but the Trolls came up short against the CCAC leaders, falling in straight sets at Saint Xavier 25-20, 25-14, 25-8 on Tuesday night.

The Trolls (3-21, 1-9 CCAC) started out strong, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set thanks to kills from Veldman and Grace Steenwyk, as well as an ace by Shannon Simpson. Saint Xavier (15-4, 10-0 CCAC) battled back to even the score at 6-6, and with a five-point rally shortly after took a 13-8 advantage. Trinity would pull to within three late in the set following an ace by Cecilia Zuniga at 20-17, but the Cougars scored four of the next five points to claim the first set.

The home team would nearly lead wire-to-wire in game two, taking an early 6-3 lead before the Trolls tied the game at 6-6 with a block from Taryn Hinken and Trisha Noonan. Saint Xavier responded with four of the next five points, and pulled away down the stretch, going on a 9-3 run to take a two-set lead in the match.

The Cougars took control quickly in game three, taking a 9-2 advantage to start the set. Another six-point rally extended the lead, and Saint Xavier closed out the match on a 6-1 run to secure the win.

Trinity will step outside of conference play for their next test, as they head south to face Indiana Wesleyan. First serve with the Wildcats from Marion, Ind. is set for 12:00 p.m.