Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Trinity Christian (Ill.) 3, Mayville State 0
(Trinity wins 25-20, 25-17, 25-12)
The Mayville State University Comets took on a tough Trinity Christian team in game one of the tournament, being swept in straight sets to open the tournament.

It was all Mayville State in the first set, as Jayden Warner rallied off three straight points to put Mayville State ahead 4-1. The teams would continue to trade points in the first set, until a Trinity Christian three-point run put Trinity ahead 16-13.

Mayville State then cut the lead to one point, 16-15, but the teams would go back-and-forth, with Trinity putting the finishing touches in set one with three straight points.

In set two, an ace by Trinity Christian early put the Comets down by two, but Hannah Bliss tied the game at 5-5 following a service error by Trinity. The teams continued to trade points until the midway point of the set, when Trinity Christian racked off six points to take a 19-13 lead, a lead they would never relinquish in set two.

The third set started with back-to-back-to-back points for Mayville State on the hands of Hannah Bliss and Ashley Pyburn. But then, tides turned and Trinity Christian took off and scored five in a row of their own, taking a 5-3 lead in the third set. Mayville State then tied things up at 5-5, but seven more points is all Mayville State would get, as the Comets fell 25-12 to end the first match of the tournament.

Hannah Bliss led the Comets with 10 kills, followed by Victoria Johnson with six kills. Elora Passa finished the match with 14 of Mayville State's 16 assists. Three Comets were in double figures in the digs category, led by Jayden Warner (16), Mason Hart (12) and Passa (11).
 
Clarke University (Iowa) 3, Mayville State 2
(Clarke wins 13-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 15-11)
Mayville State looked to bounce back in their final game on Friday, against Clarke University. After dropping their first match to Trinity Christian in straight sets, the Comets came out firing in the second match.

Mayville State built an 11-7 lead in set one, but a kill by Clarke University pulled them to within three points. Seven points later, behind strong serving by Warner, Clarke University stared into a 18-8 deficit. A second 5-0 run a short time later, led by strong serving by freshman Amy Seim, put the win out of Clarke University's reach in set one.

Clarke limited Mayville State's opportunities to go on a run in the second set, only allowing one five-point run, led by strong offensive play by Jordyn Lucas, and some Clarke University defensive errors.

In the third set, Mayville State took a 5-2 lead early, and then it was back-and-forth, before Mayville State jumped to a 4-0 run late, behind three straight kills by Kiana Johnson, pulling the Comets to within one point, but Clarke University pulled away.

Mayville State needed to rebound in the fourth set, in order to keep their hopes alive.

The game was back-and-forth throughout, but a three-point run towards the end of the match, putting Mayville State up 24-21, was enough to make things look like they were going the right way. Clarke tried to stop that with a point to bring it to 24-22, but a kill by Bliss ended the set and set it to a pivotal and deciding set five.

Playing to 15, both teams knew it would be imperative that they were on their 'A' game. The two teams traded points, with the game tied at 3-3 early. A 4-0 run put Clarke University ahead 7-3 and cause the Comets chances to look grim.

But, in true Comet fashion, they pulled back to within one point late, and then tied the game at 11-11 on a kill by Bliss. Back-to-back kills brought Clarke University to within two points of a fifth set and match win, so Lindsey Johnson called a timeout. Out of the timeout, back-to-back kills by Clarke University ended Mayville State's night.

Three Comets finished with double-figure kill totals—Victoria Johnson (17), Bliss (13) and Johnson (10). Passa finished with 38 of Mayville State's 41 assists. Three Comets finished in double-digits in digs—Warner (25), Bliss (14) and Passa (13).

Coach's thoughts on day one
We spoke to head coach Lindsey Johnson following Friday's games. 

"I felt like we did some really good things today," she said. "We need to find a little more consistency down the stretch, but overall I was pleased with our effort."

Up next for Mayville State
The Comets will wrap up the Viterbo Holiday Inn Express PreSeason Tournament Saturday with a pair of games.

They will open the day at 10 a.m. against Indiana University-South Bend, and will end their tournament run in the day cap, taking on St. Francis (Ind.) at 3 p.m.