TIFFIN, Ohio - After taking the first two sets, Tiffin volleyball could not hold off a pesky Trevecca Nazarene squad as the Trojans battled back for a 3-2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-9) victory.
The Dragons take their second loss of the season in conference play, falling to 8-2 in the GMAC and 15-12 overall. TNU improves to 6-4 in GMAC action and 15-15 on the season.
It was not a great hitting day for either team, as Tiffin hit .159 as a team and Trevecca swung .172.
Sam Fallis and Loryn Huffman both recorded career-highs in digs, with Fallis notching 30 and Huffman 29. Huffman added 49 assists, while sister Jenna led the Dragons with 21 kills.
Alicia Kessler had a season-high 18 kills for TU, and Grace Schreiber added six total blocks at the net.
The first set was relatively close throughout, but Tiffin was able to pull away late for the win. Set two was all Dragons, as the home team used a 14-2 run in the middle of the set to eventually win 25-17.
The Dragons led 18-15 in set three, needing just seven points for the victory, but the Trojans scored four straight and six of the next seven to go up 21-19. Tiffin was able to cut the deficit back down to 22-21, but TNU rattled off three straight kills to close the set at 25-21.
Set four proved to be similar, as Tiffin led 13-11 midway through before Trevecca scored nine unanswered to take a 20-13 lead. The Dragons didn't give up, though, nearly coming all the way back but falling just short, 25-21.
Tiffin came out strong in set five, trying to avoid the upset, going up 6-3. TNU made yet another run, however, scoring seven of the next eight and finishing the frame on a 12-3 run to take the 15-9 victory and secure the match.
The Dragons will look to bounce back next Friday when they host Walsh in what could decide who gets the second seed in the GMAC tournament. After suffering their first conference loss at the hands of Hillsdale tonight, the Cavaliers are a half-game up on Tiffin and could come into next week's matchup a full game up if they defeat Findlay tomorrow. After that matchup, the Dragons will close out the regular season by hosting Malone next Saturday.
