SOUTH BEND, IND.-- After splitting the first two sets, Trine pulled away with two decisive wins in the final two sets to earn the 3-1 victory over St. Mary's in MIAA action Wednesday evening at the Angela Athletic Facility.
The Thunder took the first set 25-21, but the Belles rallied to knot the match with a 26-24 victory in the second set. Trine finished strong to close out SMC with 25-16 and 25-20 victories over the final two sets. The Thunder got a balanced attack, as three Trine players finished with 10 or more kills. Leading the way was Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) with 12 kills to go along with 14 digs. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) notched her third triple-double of the season with 12 kills, 13 digs, and 31 assists. Kati Schneider and Katie Hecklinski led St. Mary's with 14 kills apiece. Trine improved to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA. The Belles fall to 3-5 overall, 2-2 in conference matches.
Taylor Rabel (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) added 10 kills for the Thunder. With the performance, Rabel passed Melissa Blake for 7th on Trine's all-time kills list and became the seventh player on record in program history to top 700-career kills. She has reached double-figures in kills in each of Trine's six wins.
The Thunder outhit the Belles by a .151 to .074 margin. Mikayla Carpenter (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) led the defensive effort with a match-high 23 digs. Six Thunder finished with seven digs or more in the match.
Melanie Kuczek came out on fire for St. Mary's, notching five kills in the first set, though she was held to just three kills the rest of the way. Clare McMillan set the SMC attack with 25 assists. Schneider and Hecklinski led the defensive effort with 19 and 17 digs respectively. The Belles finished with 10.5 blocks as a team.
After the split of the first two sets, Trine seized control midway through the third set with a five-point run to turn a 10-9 lead into a six-point advantage. Annie Phillips (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) held serve through four of those points, notching two of her three service aces during that stretch. SMC got no closer than five the rest of the way.
Phillips made an impact in the final set, holding serve as Trine took the lead for good. The last of Phillips' service aces was part of a four-point run that gave the Thunder a 17-14 lead. Trine never trailed the rest of the match.
The Thunder get six days off before returning to action next Tuesday, Sep. 16. Trine will host Adrian at 6:30 p.m. in Hershey Hall.