GEORGETOWN - In a battle of two of the best teams in the country, No. 5 Trinity was able to come into the Robertson Center and escape with a four set win over No. 2 Southwestern on Friday evening.
In the first of two meetings between the Pirates and Tigers, Trintiy was able to hold Southwestern to a .133 hitting percentage, using tremendous defense to hold down the Pirate attack. Southwestern also had a great night defensively, holding Trinity to a .161 hitting percentage.
"We had a battle with a high quality team tonight in Trinity," said Head Coach Don Flora. "They played as well as they have in any match we have seen this season in certain components and techniques of the game."
In the first set, a back-and-forth affair between the two elite programs, the Tigers inched out a 25-22 win. Southwestern seemed in control of the second set, but Trinity rallied for six straight points to storm back and win the second set, 26-24, and take a huge 2-0 advantage.
In the third set, Southwesern took control from the beginning and cruised to a 25-19 win thanks to strong play from senior Kate Mitchell and junior Megan Grimes.
However, Trinity was able to close the match, thanks in part to a huge rally in the fourth set, winning 25-16 and earning the road conference win.
"We believe there are a number of things for us to glean from this match and things for us to grow from as a team," said Flora. "We love playing great volleyball and we will learn to do it for longer stretches of time as the season develops."
Mitchell finished with 14 kills to lead the way offensively while Duck and senior Piper Sisemore each had nine. Grimes had 36 assists to go with eight kills while junior Brandi Campos and sophomore Brittany Hohlt had 27 and 21 digs, respectively.
"To have such an elite collegiate volleyball crowd and sense of support from our fans and student body was tremendous," added Flora. "Their vibe and energy is something we are thankful for in a home match."
The Pirates move to 12-1 overall and 0-1 in SCAC play. They will look to bounce back tomorrow as they have a pair of matches, beginning with a 12:30 PM match against Schreiner followed by a 5:00 PM matchup against Texas Lutheran.
