GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Trine Thunder met the challenge of top-ranked Hope College but fell short in straight sets 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-18) in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament Friday night in a match hosted by Calvin College.
The Thunder grabbed the number three seed in the postseason tournament for the first time in school history.
Trine came out hot in the first set, taking a quick 4-1 lead on two kills by sophomore Lauren Verkamp, (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) a stuff at the net by freshman Laura Hartman (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) and sophomore Taylor Rabel (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) and a spiraling kill by Hartman.
Hope (29-1) raced back to tie it at 4-4, and that would become a consistent theme in the first set. The two teams battled point-for-point, as the set was tied 11 different times and featured five lead changes.
Trine led by three points three separate times, including a 12-9 advantage that forced a Hope timeout and sent the Thunder joyously leaping into their huddle with the early momentum. Sophomore Olivia Deck (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge) pumped two consecutive kills during that run and sophomore Bridget Marlow (Trafalgar, Ind/Indian Creek) angled a perfectly placed service ace to force the stoppage of play by the top-ranked team in the nation.
Hope bounce back to deadlock it at 15-15, then took a 18-16 lead after a strong kill by junior Amy VanderStoep. The Thunder didn't back down. They responded with a quick 4-1 run to take a 20-19 lead on two slicing kills by sophomore Megan Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) and two attack errors by the Flying Dutch.
The set was tied for the final time at 20-20 on a point by junior Anna Lynch for the Flying Dutch.
Hope then proceeded to run the table the rest of the way to wrestle away the first set, 25-20.
The second set was another tight battle early on. Trine took a 3-2 lead after a Lauren Verkamp kill, a Rabel point and another strong shot by Megan Verkamp, who did a sizable amount of her damage from the middle of the net. She connected on three punishing kills in short succession, as the set eventually tangled at 5-5.
A right-handed shot by Lauren Verkamp for the Thunder tied the second set for the final time, at 6-6.
Then, Hope began to establish themselves at the net and raced to a 12-4 run to seize control at 18-10 and eventually captured the second set, 25-15.
The third set was controlled most of the way by Hope. Trine's only lead was the opening point, on an athletic battle at the net won by junior Carly Searles. (Levering, Mich./Petoskey)
The Thunder did hang around early, down 8-7, highlighted by a slicing Hartman kill, a thunderous point by Deck and a Rabel score.
Hope then exploded on a 12-4 rally, snatching a 20-10 lead. Trine reacted immediately with a Lauren Verkamp shot, a Rabel kill and another Verkamp score, this time on a dominating ace. Searles added an ace of her own, coupled with a stuff at the net by Deck to fight off a match-point, down 24-18.
All-MIAA junior Jenna Grasmeyer clinched the win for Hope on the final kill of the night as the Flying Dutch held off the Thunder charge in the final set, winning it 25-18.
It was the third consecutive year the Thunder qualified for the four-team MIAA Tournament, joining Hope and Calvin as the only three MIAA schools to participate each year.
Trine was led in kills by the sophomore Megan Verkamp with seven. Hartman, who established herself in the lineup as the season progressed, ended with six. Lauren Verkamp added five and Deck chipped in with four.
All-MIAA setter Searles dished out 21 assists and added 10 digs.
Carlee Felber (Newman, Calif./Orestimba), the only senior on Trine's roster, and Lauren Verkamp led the defensive attack with 13 digs each.
With the win, Hope advances to the finals of the MIAA Tournament and will face top-seeded Calvin on Saturday evening at 5:30.
Trine ends the season with a 16-15 record. It was the third consecutive winning record for the program. The last time they accomplished that was from 1986-1989, when they rattled off four straight winning seasons.
