PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Facing the No. 2 team in the nation, Trinity came out strong, winning the opening set over Saint Xavier, but the Trolls would be unable to keep the momentum rolling in a four-set loss to the Cougars inside DeVos Gymnasium on Friday night.
Trinity took advantage of eight attacking errors and an .067 hitting percentage from their opponents in the first set, helping to allow the Trolls a 14-12 lead following a 5-1 rally that was highlighted by kills from Zach Supanich and Austin Risser, along with an ace from Tim Slattery. In a set that saw a combined ten lead changes, the Trolls used a 7-2 run that turned an 18-17 deficit into set point at 24-20. Saint Xavier would come back with three in a row, but Brendan Rushton's kill gave Trinity the first-set win, 25-23.
The Trolls started game two with a bang, opening up a 10-4 lead with kills from Rushton and Sam Cain. Saint Xavier would respond, scoring nine of the next ten to claim a 13-11 advantage. The Cougars would hold the lead the rest of the way, finishing out the set with seven of the final nine points to even the match after a 25-18 win.
Game three would see the Cougars lead wire-to-wire, opening a 15-3 lead to star the set. A three-point run from the Trolls, highlighted by a kill from Cain and an ace from Rushton would close the gap to 17-8, but Saint Xavier would out-score Trinity down the stretch for the 25-12 win.
Trinity would hold a narrow lead throughout the early portions of game four, going up by as much as three at 10-7 before Saint Xavier moved in front for the first time with a 5-1 run at 12-11. Kills from C.J. Lafin and Conner Dargan briefly put the Trolls back in front at 13-12 before Saint Xavier bounced back with five of the next seven for a 17-15 advantage. The Trolls would prevent another long rally, but were unable to move back in front as the Cougars closed out the night with a 25-22 win.
Supanich led the Trolls with nine kills on the night, along with six digs. Slattery tallied 18 assists with four digs, while Dargan posted three kills and five blocks. Samuel Kwan led the back line with 16 digs.
The Trolls are back in action next Tuesday night, when they host Judson. First serve with the Eagles is set for 7:00 p.m.
