Tree of Life sweeps St. Charles in straight sets

Tree of Life Christian School opened strong and stayed in control Thursday night, sweeping St. Charles 3-0 in a home match. The Trojans won by set scores of 25-21, 25-19, 25-16, turning in a composed performance despite heavy lineup changes.

That steady adjustment was one of the biggest storylines of the night. Tree of Life shuffled its lineup, but the Trojans handled it well and still delivered one of their cleaner efforts of the season. The group settled in early, matched St. Charles through the opening stretches of the first set, then found enough separation to take the opener 25-21 and build momentum for the rest of the match.

From there, the Trojans' offense and serving gave St. Charles trouble. Calvin Spitznagle led Tree of Life with 13 kills, providing the finishing power the team needed in key stretches. Jordan Barnett and Sam Kutnow helped keep the attack organized with 11 assists each, a mark that pushed their assist rates to 33%. Their distribution allowed Tree of Life to stay balanced and keep pressure on the visitors through the second and third sets.

The service line was another difference-maker. Barnett and Evan Fenton did not miss a serve all night and combined for four aces, giving the Trojans extra points and preventing St. Charles from getting comfortable in serve receive. That consistency helped Tree of Life close out the second set 25-19, then pull away even more decisively in the third.

By the final set, Tree of Life had taken full command. The Trojans continued to defend, distribute and finish rallies with confidence, closing the match with a 25-16 third-set win. It was the kind of all-around showing that reflected both depth and resilience, and a strong night for a team that adjusted on the fly and still played with energy, poise and plenty of Trojan pride.

The Trojans host their first quad match on Saturday, April 18 against Dayton Christian, Wilmington Christian Academy, and Hillsboro Christian Academy.