PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trinity women's volleyball opened the 2022-23 season on Friday night, pushing a 20-win Mount Mercy (Iowa) squad to five sets before coming up just short, 25-22, 21-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-10 inside DeVos Gymnasium.

Freshman setter Alexis Bartz had a strong outing in her Troll debut, registering a double-double with 32 assists and a match-high 16 digs. Sarah Neighbors and Taryn Hinken led the offense with 13 and 12 kills respectively, as Hinken posted a .458 attack percentage on the night.

The Trolls (0-1) jumped out to a quick 7-1 start in the opening set, and would lead as late as 21-18, before the Mustangs (1-0) posted six straight points on their way to stealing the set at 25-22. Trailing in game two at 18-17, Neighbors' kill started a 5-1 run for the home team to put the Trolls in front 22-19. Kills from Bartz, Dej'a Williams, and Brooke Veldman closed out the win at 25-21 to even the match at one set apiece.

The visitors had their strongest stretch in the third, leading wire-to-wire with a 6-1 run to close out the set. The Trolls would bounce back, despite falling behind 9-4 in game four. Three straight Mustang errors followed by a kill and block from Neighbors fueled a five-point rally, tying the score at 9-9. Mount Mercy would reclaim the lead, but the Trolls overcame a 23-19 deficit with six straight points, forcing a fifth set with a 25-23 win.

Mount Mercy jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the fifth, but kills from Williams and Neighbors allowed the Trolls to pull even at 8-8. The visitors would finish out the match with a 6-2 run however, to close out the night.

The Torlls will look to bounce back on Tuesday, when they travel to Huntington, Ind. for a tri-match with Concordia (Mich.) and Huntington (Ind.). First serve is set for 11:00 a.m.