ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University men's volleyball team swept Wittenberg University on Saturday afternoon in Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League (MCVL) action.
The Thunder (10-12, 2-3 MCVL) utilized a team hitting percentage of .384 to defeat the Tigers (11-13, 4-3 MCVL), who hit in the negatives on the day.
Trine forced Wittenberg to take the first timeout trailing 11-7 after back-to-back kills by Ted Hofmeister [Powell, Ohio / Saint Charles] and Kyle Dixon [Lockport, Ill. / Lockport Township]. The Thunder maintained that gap up to the second called timeout by the Tigers at 20-16. Two errors and a kill from Hofmeister allowed Trine to take the final three points in a 25-18 set one victory.
Wittenberg never took a lead in set two as the Thunder dominated offensively and forced the Tigers into 12 errors with a -.407 hitting percentage. Kevin Boncaro [Rochester, N.Y. / Rush Henrietta] and Matt Stillman [Mokena, Ill. / Lincoln Way Central] combined for an early block to secure momentum and the tandem of Boncaro and Landon Barrow [Noblesville, Ind. / Noblesville] had three blocks in the midst of a massive 14-1 run. Dixon also had a pair of solo blocks near the end of the set to secure the 25-9 set win.
A five-point run to give Trine the 7-3 edge early in the third set forced Wittenberg into calling for time. The teams would go back-and-forth in the third, but solid serving from Nick Woolley [Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield North] and Sam Bhandal [Marysville, Wash. / Marysville] kept the Tigers at bey. Wittenberg worked to tie the third up at 20, but from there the Thunder were able to score five of the next seven points to take the match at 25-22.
Up front, Hofmeister and Stillman had double-digit kills with 11 and 10. The team totaled nine blocks, including two solo blocks from Dixon and five block assists by Boncaro. Ethan Howard [South Whitley, Ind. / Witko] distributed 31 assists in the match and led the back row in digs with seven credited to the junior.
Conference play continues on Wednesday, March 30 when Trine men's volleyball hits the road for the final time in the regular season at Olivet College. First serve is set for 7 pm.