ELGIN, Ill. - Another dramatic win took place for Judson University in the Lindner Fitness Center for the second match in a row as they overcame a two-game deficit for a 3-2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-20, 25-28, 15-13) win over Trinity International in CCAC play. Judson improved to 4-3 in the CCAC and 7-21 overall.
This was the third straight CCAC match that Judson has gone five games and they have won the past two. Last week, they fell to Cardinal Stritch in five games in Wisconsin and then bounced back to take a 3-2 win over then CCAC leader St. Francis. Judson has now played in six five-game matches and holds a 3-3 record.
Freshman Carissa Oelke (Oregon, IL/Oregon HS) set a career-high in kills with 27 and recorded her 11th double-double of the year with 19 digs. For the eighth time this season, Debra Leganski (Elgin, IL/Elgin Larkin HS) had 30 or more digs with 33. Carly Campioni (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South HS) had her fourth double-double of the year with 44 assists and 21 digs. Courtney Martin (Eureka, IL/Eureka HS) added 10 digs.
The match started off in back and forth battle as Trinity International took game one, 26-24. With 14 ties, it came down to which team would get the break. Trinity International had a 15-13 lead but Judson scored four straight points to take the 17-15 lead on two attack errors by the Trojans. Judson kept their lead at two, 20-18, only to see Trinity International tie it at 20. There were then ties at 21 and 22 before Alesha Wyman (Delevan, WI/Trinity Christian) had a kill to retake the lead, 23-22. Oelke made it 24-22 for Judson on another kill but two straight kills by Trinity International's Carly Yattaw and Chelsie Fields tied the match at 24. Judson then gave Trinity International the lead on an attack error and Yattaw finished off game one for the Trojans with one of her 21 kills for the game one win.
Trinity International started game two off with a 4-0 lead but saw Judson tie it at five on a Leganski service ace. Trinity International went on a run after Judson's service ace and took nine of the next 11 points for a 14-9 lead. Judson battled back to within two, 16-14, but that is as close as it would be as the Trojans went on for the 2-0 lead, 25-20.
The turnaround came in game three as Judson came out charged up and jumped out to a five-point advantage, 9-4. A service ace from Martin put Judson's lead at six, 11-5, but Trinity International came back to within two, 15-13. A kill by Yattaw put the game at a 16-16 tie but Martin followed with a kill to put Judson back on top, 17-16. The game was then tied, again, at 17 on a Judson attack error. From that point on, Judson did not lose the lead as three of the next four points Judson scored were on Trinity International attacking errors. Two straight kills by Oekle gave Judson a four-point advantage, 22-18, and then Oelke made it 24-19, with another kill. An attack error from Trinity International game Judson their first win in game three, 25-20.
Momentum rolled over for Judson into game four as it came later in the game. Trinity International had a 7-5 lead until Judson rallied to tie the game at nine. The game was then tied at 10, 11, and 12, before Judson scored seven of the next eight points for a 19-13 lead. This was the largest lead for Judson in the game. Trinity International cut the lead to three, twice, with the last at 20-17. Judson finished the game scoring the final five of six points to tie the match at two, 25-18.
Trinity International jumped out a 3-0 lead in game five only to see Judson tie it at three. There were then six straight ties as each team exchanged points. Yattaw tied the game at nine with a kill but two straight kills by Karissa Groharing (Byron, IL/Byron HS) and Oelke put Judson up 11-9. Trinity International came within one, twice, 11-10 and 13-12, but each time Judson came through. With the score at 13-12, Danielle Dull (Waupun, WI/Central WI Christian HS) pounded out her seventh kill of the match for the two-point lead, 14-12. Another Trinity International kill put them within one, 14-13, but Wyman ended the match with her eighth kill for the match win, 15-13.
Judson finished hitting .204 overall but hit .395 in game four and .345 in game five and had 58 kills on the night. Judson also had eight team blocks (2 solo, 12 assisted) and 112 digs.
