Milwaukee, Wis. - Trinity Christian men's volleyball (6-7, 2-3 CCAC) came off a difficult Tuesday night loss to conference foe Judson University. On Thursday, they were on the verge of taking down Cardinal Stritch University (4-4, 3-2 CCAC) before the Wolves came back to take the win in five sets, 25-19, 17-25, 25-19, 29-31, 12-15. 

Despite the loss, sophomore Alex Costa led the offense with 20 kills and nine digs. Sophomore Ryan Schmidt went for a double-double. He added 19 assists and contributed 10 digs. 

In set one, the Trolls led 7-5 before going on a 6-0 run. A rare kill from Schmidt may have ignited the rally. The Trolls found their rhythm and it was Schmidt with an ace to bring up set-point. Sophomore Nick Mioni took the final swing of the first set and earned a kill for a 25-19 win to start the night off.

In set two, the Trolls trailed 16-9. They closed the gap to four points at 17-13 but never got closer falling 25-17. In set three with the match tied at 17, Costa came up with a clutch kill to start an 8-2 run to end the set, 25-17. 

Trinity Christian College was on the verge of the win leading 24-21 in the fourth set. The Wolves rallied for five consecutive points though and the two teams squabbled back and forth. Cardinal Stritch led 30-29 and got the win in set four on a kill from Cooper Polczinski. Trinity Christian College couldn't comeback and fell in the fifth set 15-12. They trailed from start to finish in the final set.

NOTES & NUMBERS: 

• While Costa's 20 kills were overshadowed by the loss, he tied his season high and is now averaging 4.0 kills/set on the year.
• Sophomore Mike Hay put together one of his best offensive nights of the season. His 15 kills were a career high and it was the first double digit kill performance of his career.
• Senior Adam Becker went for a season high 14 digs. 
• Mioni led the passing attack with 21 assists. He also had six kills.

UP NEXT: The Trolls will get a quick turnaround with a chance to redeem themselves on Friday night. A non-conference matchup with Aquinas College (8-4) awaits the Trolls. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside DeVos Gymnasium.