FREELAND, MICH.-- Trine's Laura "Lana" Hartman and Carly Searles have swept the MIAA Player of the Week awards, the conference announced Monday.
Hartman (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) was named MIAA Player of the Week for the first-time in her career. Searles was named MIAA Specialist of the Week for the third-time this season and fifth-time in her career. The duo paced Trine to five sweeps last week, including a 4-0 performance in the UMASS-Boston Beacon Invitational. With an 18-3 record, the Thunder have tied the 2012 team for the most wins in a season since 1999. Trine has five matches in a row, with all those victories coming by sweep. The Thunder have won 30 of their last 33 sets over the last 11 matches.
Hartman put away 27 kills on a crisp .511 hitting percentage this past week. She had seven kills in nine attempts in back-to-back matches, which helped Trine earn victories over Kalamazoo and UMASS-Boston. Those efforts were good for a .778 hitting percentage. The sophomore did not have an attack error over a three-match span during the week. She raised her hitting percentage from .087 to .184 with the strong performances.
Searles filled the stat sheet with 163 assists (10.9 per set), 32 kills, 43 digs, nine blocks and eight service aces during the 5-0 week for the Thunder. The senior notched eight kills, 37 assists, three aces and 2.5 blocks in a sweep over Kalamazoo. With Searles setting the attack, Trine hit .200 or better in all five matches this week. She distributed the ball effectively, with six players averaging over 1.13 kills per set and hitting .184 or better.
Trine returns to MIAA play Tuesday night when they host St. Mary's at 7 p.m. in Hershey Hall.