By Sports Information Student Kory Shackle
ANGOLA, Ind. - Coming into Friday night's match, the Trine University knew how big of a match up this was. The Thunder were taking on the Belles of Saint Mary's. The Thunder came out of the gates with a lot of tempo and confidence, and it showed on the floor. Trine managed to sweep Saint Mary's in straight sets (25-17, 25-22, 25-16). The sweep takes the Thunder's record to 11-13 overall and 5-7 in the MIAA.
In the first set, the Thunder jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead over the Belles. This is where sophomore Taylor Rabel established her presence for the night, managing four kills in the first six points for the Thunder. From there, Saint Mary's worked hard to keep it a close set. The Thunder would fight back though and make the score 21-13 late in the set. Trine went on to win the set, 25-17.
The second set was a battle for both sides. The Thunder jumped out once again to a 7-3 lead. In the middle of the set both teams managed to go back and forth from there. Late in the set, Saint Mary's would go for a little run, making the score 19-17. Then, the Thunder got stuck on point number 22 as the Belles managed to stay within a point of the Thunder. The Thunder benefited off two very crucial attack errors at the end of the match, giving Trine the win 25-22.
After taking the first two sets, the Thunder looked very determined to make this a quick night for the student section and fans at Hershey Hall. Trine came out very determined and focused. They started off with a 7-4 lead over Saint Mary's. From there, the Thunder would maintain that lead and in the middle of the set they led 15-8. That is when the Thunder never looked back and managed to win the third and final set 25-16.
Sophomore Taylor Rabel (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) produced 11 kills on the night, which led the Thunder on the night. Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) added 8 kills on the night, while also producing 7 digs. Freshman Laura Hartman (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) produced 5 kills as well as sophomore teammate Megan Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community).
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) made her presence felt, as she led both teams with 29 assists on the night. She also added in 7 digs on the night. Senior Carlee Felber (Newman, Calif./Orestimba) led both teams as well, with 16 digs on the night.