SAN ANTONIO  The opening match of the Trinity (Univ.) National Invitational pitted 14th-ranked and host Trinity against visiting Whitman College Friday afternoon. The upstart Blues challenged the nationally-ranked Tigers throughout the match but Trinity was able to escape with a 3-0 victory behind wins of 25-15, 25-23 and 25-15.

The match was the season opener for both teams. Whitman played sixth-ranked Cal Lutheran University in a late afternoon game but results are not yet available.

Trinity never trailed in the opening game, but met much greater resistance in the second.

Whitman never let the Tigers break away like they did in the opener, this time keeping close and even holding the lead several times during the game.

Leads at 3-2, 4-3, 10-9 and 14-12 kept the Blues battling for a win. Late in the match Whitman had fought back from a 21-18 deficit to take a 23-22 lead behind kills from Katie Sisson and Codie Conching, whose service ace led to the one-point Whitman advantage.

Trinity was forced to call a timeout to slow down the Blues' roll, and the break helped as the Tigers stormed back with the next three points to steal the game away.

Sisson and Conching led Whitman's attack knocking down eight and six kills, respectively. The pair were set up by Anna Dawson who registered 18 assists in the match.

Defensively, Dawson and Conching came up with six digs but trailed first-year Claire McCarthy -- playing in her first collegiate match -- who finished with seven. Brooke Randall, Megan Henry and Lara Temel each recorded two block assists apiece.

The Invitational continues Saturday, with Whitman taking on the reigning national champions and preseason No. 1 team, Calvin (Mich.) College, in a late-morning match, followed by an afternoon bout against No. 23 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.