HOLLAND, MICH.-- Trine pushed the top-ranked team in the nation to four sets, but fell to #1 Hope by a 3-1 final in MIAA-action Friday evening at DeVos Fieldhouse.
The Thunder were able to pull out a 25-23 win in the third set, but Hope put away a pair of 25-14 wins and a 25-15 set victory to remain unbeaten. Trine's victory in the third set was just the second set any team has won against the Flying Dutchmen this season, and the first won by any MIAA team against Hope in five league matches. Jenna Grasmeyer led Hope with 14 kills and became the school's all-time career-leader in kills during the match. Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) and Taylor Rabel (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) each notched double-doubles to lead the Thunder. Trine falls to 7-2 overall, 3-2 in the MIAA. The Flying Dutchmen are 9-0 overall, 5-0 in conference matches.
Verkamp notched her third-consecutive double-double, with 11 kills and 10 digs for Trine. Rabel also recorded 11 kills to go along with 14 digs. Mikayla Carpenter (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) notched a team-high 24 digs, while Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) added 25 assists and 17 digs.
Anna Lynch added 12 kills for the Dutch. Setter Lauren Hazekamp filled the stat sheet with 36 assists, 17 digs and seven kills. Allie Mitchell recorded a match-high 27 digs for Hope. The Flying Dutchmen outhit the Thunder by a .225-.101 margin and had a 10-1 advantage in blocks.
Hope held Trine below a .100 hitting percentage in each of their three set wins. An eight-point run in the first set turned a 10-9 Trine lead into a 17-10 cushion for the Dutch to help spark the victory. Hope came out hot in the second set, racing out to a 7-2 start and never looking back.
The Thunder found a way to gut out the third set to extend the match. A five-point rally turned an 18-17 Hope lead into a four-point Trine advantage. Highlighting the rally was a kill by Rabel and a service ace by Searles. Hope pulled within one, but a kill by Verkamp sealed the 25-23 victory. The Thunder outhit the Flying Dutchmen by a .209-.128 margin in the set.
Hope closed things out in the middle of the final set, as they clamped down to turn a 12-10 lead into an insurmountable 21-12 cushion. That run sealed Trine's fate, as the Dutch got the win to remain undefeated.
Trine has a quick turnaround, with a pair of matches as part of a Tri-Match tomorrow. The Thunder will face Alma at 1 p.m., and follow with a non-conference match against Defiance at 6 p.m.