ANGOLA, Ind. -- The Trine University women's volleyball team dropped the opening set but quickly rebounded to defeat the visiting Olivet College Comets but the score of 3-1.
The Thunder struggled to find their footing in the opening set falling behind early, 6-1. They slowly worked their way back into the set with a strong facilitated by an excellent service rotation by senior Lindsey DeCamp (New Haven, Ind. / New Haven) where the team scored five points straight. All told the run would be 9-3 bringing the score to 15-14. It was as close as the team could get however as they ultimately fell by the score of 25-21.
The second set saw the two teams traded points to a 6-6 tie, but then once again DeCamp came up to serve and led the team on a 6-0 run. A quick follow-up performance by senior Jacqueline Baughman (Lake Orion, Mich. / Lutheran Northwest) gave the Thunder a commanding 19-8 lead. They finished the set with a 25-15 victory.
Trine built an early 4-1 lead in the third set. The Comets often cut the deficit to one but were unable to take a lead in the set as the Thunder came away with a 25-17 win. Trine led the final set from beginning to end after the opening service by senior Sarah Toles (Kendallville, Ind. / East Noble) gave them an opening 5-0 lead. The Thunder finished off the 3-1 match victory with a 25-14 win.
Strong service was a decisive part of the victory for the Thunder as they finished the contest with 11 total aces in the contest. DeCamp finished the contest with a team-high four on her own, while Toles finished with three and sophomore Jillian Hannah (Cygnet, Ohio / Elmwood) came in with a pair.
Offensively senior Madison Munger (Indianapolis, Ind. / Franklin Central) led the team with 20 kills in the match. Toles came in second with 10 kills on a .360 hitting percentage and junior Kristen Dauksza (Kentland, Ind. / South Newton) came in third with eight.
Baughman led the way with 33 assists in the contest while sophomore Joslynn Battle (Lowell, Mich. / Lowell), who played during the final set, finished the contest with 12.
Sophomore Pairs Outwater (Bronson, Mich. / Bronson) finished the game with 19 assists to lead the team. Munger finished with 17 and DeCamp came in with 13.
Trine improves to 6-1 overall and 2-1 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) play. They will continue their season when they host Calvin University on Wednesday, April 7 for another MIAA contest. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
