PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trinity Men's Volleyball claimed their first title in program history on Saturday afternoon, as the Trolls won the 2023 NCCAA Men's Volleyball National Invitational.

The Trolls (4-0) rolled through the tournament with a perfect record, dropping just a single set over four matches. On Friday, a pair of straight-set victories over Carolina (N.C.) and Geneva (Pa.) saw Trinity through to Saturday's national semifinal.

Against Lancaster Bible (Pa.), junior hitter Alex Costa led the way, recording 22 kills with a .425 attack percentage as the Trolls secured a four-set win, 19-25, 27-25, 25-19, 25-21. Ryan Schmidt registered 48 assists, and freshman Jacob Krefft anchored the defense with 19 digs. Schmidt earned All-Tournament team honors, while Costa was named the 2023 NCCAA National Invitational's Most Outstanding Player. 

The Trolls faced a familiar foe in the championship match, in CCAC rivals Olivet Nazarene. Trinity came out strong, claiming the first set 25-17 after jumping out to an 8-2 lead to start. The Tigers responded in game two, bouncing back after Trinity scored six straight, battling back to tie the game at 15-15. After tie scores at 22, 23, and 24-24, Costa put the Trolls back in front with a kill at 25-24, and an Olivet error would close out the set in Trinity's favor.

A close start to game three, the Trolls pulled away with a 10-2 run to go up 17-8. Following a four-point rally for the Tigers, Trinity secured the championship by closing out the match with seven of the final ten points.

With the national invitational complete, the Trolls now set their sights on the rest of the regular season, beginning with the CCAC opener on Tuesday, January 31. Trinity will head to Saint Xavier to start conference play, with first serve from the Shannon Center in Chicago set for 7:00 p.m.