CHICAGO — After starting off its season at 1-5, Trinity Christian College has been one of the hottest women’s volleyball teams in the nation having won each of its last 12 matches and 26 of 28 contests since the slow start. It is for those reasons and the fact that the Trolls claimed the regular-season league championship that they are the favorite to also capture the 2019 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, which takes place Nov. 12-16. A total of eight teams will make up the field in the single-elimination tournament.
Trinity Christian (25-7) enters the tournament among others receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll. Right behind the Trolls in the tournament seedings is Indiana University South Bend (20-12), which also claims the title as the only league team to have beaten Trinity Christian during the regular season. The Titans scored a straight-set 25-13, 26-24, 25-21 victory in South Bend on Oct. 5 in the only meeting between the two schools this season.
Indiana South Bend nudged out Olivet Nazarene University (17-11) for the No. 2 seed in the tournament after both teams finished 14-4 in league play. The Titans edged out ONU for the spot by beating them in their head-to-head matchup.
Each of those three teams will host Tuesday’s opening-round matches as will No. 4 seed Trinity International University (23-11). The rest of the tournament field is made up of No. 5 University of St. Francis (21-13), No. 6 Indiana University Northwest (15-9), No. 7 and defending tournament champion Saint Xavier University (12-21) and No. 8 Judson University (22-13).
Quarterfinal-round matchups find Trinity Christian hosting Judson, Saint Xavier traveling to Indiana South Bend, Indiana Northwest heading down to Olivet Nazarene and St. Francis heading north to face Trinity International. All matches start at 7 pm local time (6 pm South Bend time).
The tournament continues on Thursday at the site of the highest remaining seeds followed by the championship match Saturday night at 7 pm local time, also at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Should Trinity Christian also capture the CCAC Tournament, the tournament runner-up will earn the conference’s second automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.
The complete tournament schedule follows:
Tuesday, Nov. 12 – First Round
• Match #1: No. 8 Judson (22-13) at No. 1 Trinity Christian (25-7) — 7 pm
• Match #2: No. 5 St. Francis (21-13) at No. 4 Trinity International (23-11) — 7 pm
• Match #3: No. 7 Saint Xavier (12-21) at No. 2 Indiana South Bend (20-12) — 6 pm
• Match #4: No. 6 Indiana Northwest (15-9) at No. 3 Olivet Nazarene (17-11) — 7 pm
Thursday, Nov. 14 – Semifinal Round
• Match #5: Winner-Match #1 vs. Winner-Match #2 — 7 pm (at site of highest remaining seed)
• Match #6: Winner-Match #3 vs. Winner-Match #4 — 7 pm (at site of highest remaining seed)
Saturday, Nov. 16 – Championship
• Match #7: Winner-Match #5 vs. Winner-Match #6 — 7 pm (at site of highest remaining seed)