ST. LOUIS, MO. -- The Trine University men's volleyball team was defeated by Fontbone (Mo.) University in straight sets, 3-0, in a Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League match in St. Louis, Mo.
The first set saw Trine (6-20, 0-6 MCVL) fall by a final score of 25-12. Freshman Eric Santiago-Garcia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Glen Ridge) tallied three kills in the opening game, while the duo of freshmen Kyle Dixon (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Twp.) and Dan Boren (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) both added two kills. The Thunder had a 2-1 early lead, but four straight points by Fontbonne (20-2, 4-2 MCVL) put the Griffins out in front, 5-2, and never trailed again in the set. Fontbonne steadily pulled away on the scoreboard with a series of small scoring runs and led by as many as 13 points, including the final score of 25-12.
Trine totaled eight kills as a team in set number two and jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, highlighted by back-to-back kills by freshman Jackson Condrey (Spokane, Wash./Ferris) and Santiago-Garcia. The Thunder maintained a slight edge over the Griffins, but the home squad eventually took over the lead and looked to be headed to another victory with a six-point advantage, 16-10, later in the set. Trine rallied with four straight points that included consecutive service aces by Condrey which was followed by another kill by Santiago-Garcia, to cut the deficit to two points, 16-14. Trine stayed within striking distance until Fontbonne increased its lead back out to six points on its way to posting a 25-19 final and go went up by a two-set margin in the overall match, 2-0.
In the third set, Trine again had an early lead. This time a 4-0 lead which all four points came via attack errors by Fontbonne. The Thunder continued to lead by a 10-8 margin after a kill by Dixon, when the Griffins rattled off five straight points to take the lead, 13-10. The consecutive points helped spark a larger 17-5 run by Fontbonne to end the set and cruise to a 25-15 final to claim the 3-0 match win.
Santiago-Garcia and Dixon both led the Thunder in kills with seven each. Condrey was second with four kills and Boren added three kills. Junior Hunter Monday (Beech Grove, Ind./Lutheran) tallied 20 of the team's 22 set assists and Condrey's two aces in the second set were the team's only aces in the match.
Freshman Raviel Winters (Elwood, Ill./Joilet Central) led Trine in digs with six, followed by Monday and freshman Luke Maier (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty) who both had three digs. Condrey also led the team in total blocks with four (one solo and three assists). Monday was second with a pair of block assists.
Trine returns to action tomorrow (Saturday, Mar. 30) when it travels to Greenville, Ill. to take on Greenville University in a conference matchup. The match is scheduled to begin at noon EST.