Angola, IND.– The Trine volleyball team lost a five-set thriller to Olivet Saturday afternoon at Hershey Hall.
The Thunder took the first set 25-17. They were down early in the set before coming back to win it handily. Olivet tied it up with a win in the second set, taking it 25-12. The Comets never trailed in the second set. Set three was much more closely contested, but Olivet held the lead for most of the match after falling behind 5-0, winning 25-21. Trine struck back with a 25-17 fourth set victory in which they never trailed. The deciding fifth set was back-and-forth, including seven ties, but Olivet eventually emerged with an 18-16 victory.
Multiple players put up career highs for the Thunder. Molly Smith (Angola, Ind./Angola) had a career-high 12 kills and paced the team with a .310 hitting percentage. Raven Hood (Monroe, Mich./Airport) set a career high with 15 digs, and Emma Bowman (Corvallis, Ore./Saint Joseph) had a career-high 9 blocks. Janaya Wilder (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont) set a career high with 21 digs. Wilder also had a season-best 17 kills (one off her career high) and served four aces. Madison Cook (Kendallville, Ind./East Noble) added 16 digs and Rhylee Beshears (Gary, Ind./Hobart) contributed 15 digs.
Brittney Prince and Allison Turner each had 13 kills to lead the Comets. Andrea Rico led the team with 24 digs, and Mona Hinamanu and Courtney Cronkright each had 20 digs for Olivet. Hinamanu also had three aces, and Erie McClendon was the team leader in blocks
Trine out-blocked Olivet 13-5, and had a higher team hitting percentage (.135) than the Comets (.118).
Trine returns to action Tuesday, October 25, at Albion. The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. The Thunder then close out the season Saturday, October 29, when they host Saint Mary's at 1 p.m.
Written by Grant Tingley.