UNION, N.J.-- The Trine volleyball team dropped a pair of five-set matches at the Kean Invitational Friday night at Harwood Arena.
The Thunder rallied back from dropping the first two sets to Kean, but the comeback attempt fell short as the Cougars earned the 25-19, 25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 15-10 victory. Trine also pushed Springfield to five sets, but was defeateed 25-23, 18-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-7. Janaya Wilder (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont) and Lauren Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) each notched double-doubles to lead the Thunder. Trine fell to 6-11 on the season.
Kean 3, Trine 2
Lauren Verkamp played her best all-around match of the season, setting season-highs with 14 kills and 16 digs. She added two aces, a pair of assists and a block assist. Joelle Tondi notched 10 kills to pace Kean. Kean improved to 10-10.
The freshman trio of Wilder, Shannon Scott (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg) and Morgan Harris (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville) made major contributions offensively. Wilder notched 13 kills, while Scott notched nine kills and Harris put away seven kills.
Trine hit .320 in the third set and .333 in the fourth to spark the comeback to force five sets. Scott, Wilder and Olivia Deck (Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge) each notched three kills in the third set. Verkamp led the way with five kills in the fourth set.
A five-point run in the fifth set was the difference for Kean as the Cougars opened up a 7-2 advantage. Trine was able to pull within two, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Springfield 3, Trine 2
After trading the first four sets back-and-forth, the Thunder ran out of gas in the final set as Springfield pulled away for the win.
Springfield's blocking kept Trine off-balance enough times to be a contributing factor in the match. Lauren Holt notched nine blocks to go along with 14 kills. Kelsey McGahey added 11 kills and seven blocks.
Wilder notched a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs to lead the Thunder. Megan Verkamp (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) passed out a career-high 37 assists. She added 12 digs and six kills. Verkamp saw her first extended action at setter and notched 55 assists between the two matches.
Scott and Lauren Verkamp each added 10 kills for Trine.
The Thunder conclude its performance in the Kean Invitational tomorrow with matches against Baruch and Frostburg State.