ANGOLA, IND.-- Trine got a balanced offensive attack to earn a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20) victory over Kalamazoo in MIAA-action Wednesday evening at Hershey Hall.
Taylor Rabel (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) led the Thunder attack with 14 kills on a season-best .462 hitting percentage, showcasing a mix of power and creativity with her swings. Laura Hartman (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) notched a season-high seven kills and hit a scalding .778. Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) moved into third on Trine's all-time list in service aces, and now has 121 aces in her Trine career. The junior is the school's all-time leader in aces since Trine joined Division III in 2004. She notched eight kills, 11 digs and two aces in the match. Nya Greenstone paced Kalamazoo with 10 kills, and added six digs. Trine improves to 14-3 overall, 7-3 in MIAA matches. The Hornets fall to 9-12 overall and 4-7 in conference matches.
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) set the Thunder attack with 37 assists, and added eight kills on a .412 hitting percentage. Searles moved into third on Trine's all-time list in assists and became the fourth player in school-history to top 2,000 career assists. Olivia Deck (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge) added six kills and hit .364. The Thunder outhit Kalamazoo by a .301 to .163 margin.
Kaela Van Til notched seven kills for Kalamazoo, while Kelsey Hill added six kills. Alex Gothard set the Hornet attack with 22 assists. Logan Horejsi added a match-high 13 digs.
Kalamazoo jumped all over Trine early in the first set with a 6-0 start. The Thunder fought back with a 13-6 surge to take their first lead on an attack error, and never trailed the rest of the way. A kill by Rabel broke a 14-all tie, and the Hornets were never able to tie the score again the remainder of the set.
A six-point run broke open a 15-10 lead for Trine in the second set. Rabel had two kills, while Lauren Verkamp and Deck added kills during that stretch. The Thunder pushed the lead as high as nine on several occasions before closing out the seven-point victory.
Another six-point run helped Trine seize control of the final set and open up a 17-12 lead. Rabel put away three kills during that stretch, while Hartman added a kill and assisted on a block with Searles. Kalamazoo got no closer than three the rest of the way.
Trine travels to the Beacons Invitational this weekend in Boston, Mass. The Thunder will face UMASS-Boston, Colby-Sawyer, Emerson and Roger Williams in the two-day tournament, which runs Oct. 10-11.