AURORA, ILL. -- The Trine University men's volleyball team fell to Aurora (Ill) University, 3-1, in the season opener in Aurora, Ill.
Aurora (1-0) scored the first four points of the first set, but Trine (0-1) later got to within a point, 11-10, following a 4-1 scoring run that ended in a service ace by sophomore Dan Boren (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead). That would be as close as the Thunder got in the game as three straight points by the Spartans ended the Trine run and put Aurora back out in front by four points en route to the 24-18 final.
Trine trailed only once in the second set, but found itself in a 23-23 tie down the stretch. An attack error by Aurora broke the tie in favor of the Thunder to set up a set point opportunity. On the very next point, a block by the duo of freshman Parker Beale (Noblesville, Ind./Fishers) and Boren sealed the victory for Trine, 25-25, and evened the overall match at a set apiece.
Set number three began with the home team scoring the first eight points, forcing Trine to try and work its way back into the game. The closest the Thunder got in the set was five points multiple times, but ultimately fell by the final of 25-19.
Both teams went back-and-forth on the scoreboard early in the fourth set until a string of three straight points by Aurora resulted in a three-point cushion for the Spartans, 6-3. The advantage didn't last long, however, as Trine answered with three straight points of its own that included a kill by Beale that tied the set at 6-6. The Thunder stayed within striking distance of the lead and trailed by just a point, 12-11, when Aurora capitalized for six unanswered points with four of the points coming via an ace, to make it an 18-11 game. The deficit accumulated by Aurora would be too much for Trine to overcome as the Spartans went on to win, 25-14, in the set and take the overall match, 3-1.
Beale led Trine in kills with eight and was followed by sophomore Kyle Dixon (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) with seven kills. Freshman Chris Dargan (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln Way West) rounded out the top three with six kills.
Senior Hunter Monday (Beech Grove, Ind./Lutheran) tallied 22 set assists to lead the team.
Defensively, Boren and Beale both tallied a team-high two blocks (both assists), while the duo of freshman Dominic Saenz (Wall Twp., N.J./Wall) and sophomore Eric Santiago-Garcia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Glen Ridge) both had a team-best nine digs. In addition, Monday was third on the team with eight digs.
Trine will travel to Chicago, Ill. for a tri-match hosted by Concordia University Chicago tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 18). The Thunder will begin the day with a match against Graceland (Iowa) University at 1 p.m. (EST) and will conclude with a matchup against host Concordia Chicago at 4 p.m. (EST).