ANGOLA, Ind. - After one of their best seasons in recent history, the Trine University volleyball under third-year head coach Jamie Wozniak look carry their success into the upcoming year. The Thunder were picked to finish fourth in the MIAA Coaches’ preseason poll behind defending conference champion Calvin who was followed by Hope and Alma. After the Thunder, there was a significant drop to fifth place in Kalamazoo with Saint Mary’s, Adrian, Olivet and Albion rounding out the poll.
Last season the Thunder tallied six straight wins at one point to tie a school record, en-route to a 15-13 finish. It marked just their second winning season since 1999. The team finished the regular season fourth in the conference and qualified for the conference tournament before falling to top ranked Calvin.
Rising seniors Betsy Irwin (Athens, Ohio/Alexander) and Sarah Radekin (Athens, Ohio/Alexander) have shown they are a force to be reckoned with in the conference as Irwin is a two-time First Team All-MIAA and Radekin was named Second Team in 2011. Irwin enters the season second all-time in school history in kills and within striking distance of setting the record. Radekin also enters the year needing just 98 assists to set the career mark.
The team must replace two starters from a season ago, and will look to the sophomore duo of Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) and Melanie Troyer (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) to step up after solid freshman campaigns for the Thunder. Junior’s Carlee Felber (Newman, Calif./Orestimba) and Darcy Crabtree (Gaston, Ind./Wes-Del) will lead the Thunder defense as Crabtree enters her third season as the starting libero.
“This is our best overall recruiting class in recent history and I am extremely excited for the season to start,” Wozniak states. “We will have offensive options at every position this year which will make us a hard team to defend. Even though we will have several freshmen and sophomores starting for us, they have already played at a high level, so we look for them to be key contributors right away. The team has worked hard in the spring and made great strides as they have shown they are determined and motivated to make Trine a force in the MIAA.”
Trine opens the season on the road at the two-day Ohio Northern Invitational beginning August 31 before returning home for their first conference match of the season on September 4 against Saint Mary’s.
Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Calvin (6) 10 pts. 2. Hope (3) 13. 3. Alma 26. 4. Trine 29. 5. Kalamazoo 38. 6. Saint Mary’s 40. 7. Adrian 48. 8. Olivet 58. 9. Albion 62.