ANGOLA, IND. -- The Trine University men's volleyball team got its 2021 season underway with two victories against Baldwin Wallace (Ohio) University in a pair of Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League matches at Hershey Hall in Angola, Ind. The Thunder defeated the Yellow Jackets, 3-0, in the first match and, 3-1, in the final match.
Today's action marked the debut for the BW men's program who played a highly contested opening set in the first match as the two squads needed extended action to decide the outcome. Neither team led by more than four points as momentum exchanged hands multiple times throughout. BW (0-2) led by four points, 13-9, when a kill by freshman Matt Stillman (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln Way Central), followed by a series of Yellow Jacket attack errors, evened the game at 13-13. The two teams eventually battled to a 24-24 after a kill by Trine sophomore Parker Beale (Noblesville, Ind./Fishers) and the final two points went in Trine's favor thanks to back-to-back errors by BW that sealed a 26-24 win for the Thunder.
Trine posted an impressive second set victory with final of 25-14 and saw the Thunder tally 12 kills with five kills from junior Kyle Dixon (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township). Trine scored the first five points of the game on its way to an 8-1 early advantage. Leading by seven points (21-14) late in the set, Trine got the final points it needed on kills by Beale and sophomore Dominic Saenz (Wall Twp., N.J./Wall), a BW error and a service ace by Stillman to seal the 11-point victory.
The two teams played another heavily contested game in the third set as neither team led by more than five points which was a 14-9 advantage for Trine after a kill by freshman Ted Hofmesiter (Powell, Ohio/Saint Charles). BW quickly rallied and eventually evened the game at 24-24 before a Beale kill followed by another ace by Stillman, gave Trine the two-point victory, 26-24, and the overall match.
Dixon finished with a total of 13 kills in the first match to lead Trine. Parker was second with eight kills and Hofmesiter added five kills. Senior Hunter Monday (Beech Grove, Ind./Lutheran) had a match-high 30 set assists and also had nine digs and four assisted blocks. Freshman Hunter Haas (Cincinatti, Ohio/Bishop Moeller) and Beale both had a match-tying high 10 digs and Stillman led all players at the net with a combined six blocks (two solo and four assists).
In the second match, both teams traded set wins with Trine taking the first game, 25-16, and BW captured game number two, 25-17. The final two games were won by Trine by the final scores of 25-21 and 25-20.
Trine led for almost the entirety of the first set and led by as many as 11 points after a service ace by freshman Sam Bhandal (Marysville, Wash./Marysville) that made the score, 21-10, en route to the 11-point victory. The second set saw BW take the lead at 9-8 and began to pull away on its way to leading by as many as seven points, 24-17, before getting the winning point on a kill for the 25-17 final and even the overall match at a set apiece.
In the third set, Trine went on a 5-1 scoring run, highlighted by a pair of kills by Hofmesiter, with the score tied at 8-8 that put the Thunder out ahead for good. An ace by Saenz late in the game gave Trine a large lead of five points at 24-19 and a kill by Stillman sealed the victory (25-21) and gave Trine a 2-1 match advantage.
The fourth set saw Trine accumulate an 11-point margin, 20-9, after a kill by Dixon. BW then started its rally and fought back to within four points late, 24-20. But the earlier margin was all that Trine needed to hold off the Yellow Jackets as Beale ended the set, and the match, with a kill for the 25-20 win and 3-1 match victory.
Dixon ended the second match with a team-high 10 kills, followed by Beale with nine kills. Monday tallied 28 assists and also had five digs. Beale led the team in digs with 14 and Haas was second at nine digs. Up front, Stillman had a team-high three total blocks (one solo and two assists) and Dixon, Beale and junior Dan Boren (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) all had a total of two blocks.
Trine is scheduled to travel to Adrian, Mich. for a pair of matches against Adrian College on Sunday, Feb. 7. The first match is slated for 1 p.m.