ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Trine University men's volleyball team defeated Augustana College on day one of the Fontbonne Invitational, 3-0.
The Thunder (3-7) hit .266 in the match, their second-highest team hitting percentage of the 2022 campaign. The Vikings (3-6) were held to just .051 as a squad on the day.
Trine fell behind early in the first set, but Kevin Boncaro [Rochester, N.Y. / Rush Henrietta] led the charge with four kills to even the set at 12 points each. Ted Hofmeister [Powell, Ohio / Saint Charles] recorded a kill a few points later that sparked a 5-0 run for the Thunder, forcing Augustana to call timeout. Ethan Howard [South Whitley, Ind. / Witko] served two aces in the scoring spurt to go up 18-15 in the first.
A Kyle Dixon [Lockport, Ill. / Lockport Township] kill and block assist from Hofmeister and Landon Barrow [Noblesville, Ind. / Noblesville] wrapped up a 25-19 set one victory for the Thunder.
Trine utilized four errors and a service ace to go up 5-0 to begin set two and the Vikings called for a break once more. Daniel Boren [Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead] added an ace to his stat line a few points later.
The Thunder maintained the advantage throughout the second set and cruised to a 25-20 set two win. Hofmeister led the way with five kills in the set and excellent side outs forced Augustana to a negative hitting percentage.
Barrow started the third with a kill and got Trine started on the right foot in the frame. A 4-1 start gave the Thunder a slight edge that was maintained until the Vikings tied the set up at 11. Matt Stillman [Mokena, Ill. / Lincoln Way Central] notched a kill that allowed Trine to retake the lead and would not look back from there.
Hofmesiter sent away an opposing attack with a solo block that made it 16-13 at the Augustana timeout. The lead continued to grow as Ethan McLenon [Overland Park, Kans. / Saint James Academy] threw down a late kill and the Thunder went on to clinch the match with a set three score of 25-22.
The freshman Boncaro tied his season-high with 11 kills in the match. Howard and Hofmeister had three aces each in the three-set match. Howard distributed all 37 assists while Hunter Haas [Cincinnati, Ohio / Bishop Moeller] dug out a team-high nine balls.
The Fontbonne Invitational continues on Sunday, February 13 when Trine takes on Loras College at 11 am EST and Concordia University Chicago at 2 pm EST.