SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A hard-fought battle went the distance, as Trinity volleyball played five sets but ultimately fell to hosts Indiana South Bend on Thursday night.
The Trolls (8-18, 6-6 CCAC) were led by the senior duo of Taryn Hinken and Brooke Veldman on attack, scoring 14 and 13 kills respectively to lead the team. Alexis Bartz finished with 38 assists and 15 digs. During the match, senior libero Cecilia Zuniga reached the 1,000-career digs mark, leading the Trolls with 17 on the night.
Trinity jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the first set, behind a Shannon Simpson ace and kill from Dej'a Williams. The Titans (5-20, 5-7 CCAC) would respond, going on an 11-3 run to take the lead, 14-11. A kill from Bartz followed by a pair of South Bend errors would tie the game late, 21-21, and Bartz's ace put Trinity in front at 23-22, but the home side would score three straight kills to take the opener, 25-23.
The Trolls pulled even after a game-two win in which they led wire-to-wire, starting with an 8-2 lead on a block from Hinken and Sharide Sykes. Trinity would finish out the set on a 4-1 run, as Raimey Owens' kill clinched the 25-19 win.
South Bend returned the favor in game three, jumping out to a 7-1 lead and staying in front the rest of the way. A five-point rally for the Trolls midway through the set, highlighted by a kill and solo block from Veldman closed the gap to 14-13, but the Titans came back with three in a row to hold onto the lead and an eventual 25-19 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
Falling behind 5-1 at the start, and trailing by as much as six at 16-10, Trinity was able to force a fifth set in the closing moments of game four. The Trolls took a brief lead with kills from Makenzie Ritsema and Sharide Sykes at 23-22, but the Titans forced match point with back-to-back points of their own. A service error tied the set at 24-24, and Sykes and Veldman teamed up for a pair of kills to give the Trolls a game-four win, 26-24.
Trinity suffered another slow start in game five, and were unable to recover after falling behind 10-3 at the start. Ritsema would score a couple of kills down the stretch, but the Titans would take a 15-8 win to close out the match.
The Trolls will look to bounce back and secure a spot in the upcoming CCAC Tournament, when they host Olivet Nazarene on Saturday, October 28. The team will celebrate Senior Day before the match at DeVos Gymnasium, starting at 1:00 p.m.
